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Hi! Welcome to the ncLibraries “How do I find peer-reviewed articles?” tutorial.
This tutorial will help you learn what a peer-reviewed article is and how to find them easily using
the ncLibraries “Find It” box.
So what does peer-reviewed mean anyway? Basically, it means the article has been verified by
a panel of experts in the relevant field.
The “Find It” box is up front and centre on our website. Choose “Articles” from
the tabs at the top of the box. You can also find articles using the “Everything” tab,
but there are a few more steps involved to narrow down to peer-reviewed articles, check
out our “3 Minutes to Research” tutorial for more details.
The first thing you’ll need to do is come up with some really good, precise keywords
to enter in the box. If you need any help coming up with keywords, ask any of the Library
staff. You may want to check out the subject guide on research help; it’s also available
on our website and full of great advice.
After you put in your perfect search words, you should have a screen full of wonderful
results. Since you have searched using the “Articles” tab, you won’t have to do
as much narrowing down as you would if you had used the “Everything” tab. However,
you may want to use the checkboxes on the left-hand side of the screen to refine your
search further, for example, you can adjust the dates so you only retrieve current research.
Here’s a bonus tip: select the “keep search refinements button” so you don’t have
to recheck your boxes if you try searching different keywords.
When you find an article you like, click on the title or the “full text online” link
to access it.
Don’t let this screen freak you out—you have to enter your Blackboard user ID and
password because only Niagara College faculty, staff, and students are allowed to access
these articles from here. Lucky you!
Ta da! Here’s your article! Talk to a Library staff member about all the cool things you
can do with an article from our databases, such as generating citations and creating
research folders!
If you have any questions or would like to learn some more search tips, drop by and ask
any of the Library staff! You can also call or email us! Happy researching!