Occupational Therapy: A Guide to Library Research

Please see the Overview or A-Z Database list pages to find suggestions for where to search for scholarly articles for nursing.  See instructional videos for the most important databases under the Help Videos tab in the left margin.

Are you confused about what an article is? Or what the difference is between a scholarly article and one from a newspaper or magazine?

A journal can be similar to a magazine, but journals are published by universities or professional organizations. Magazines are published by publishing companies. Articles that are published in academic journals are written by experts in a specific field and then submitted to a panel of other experts who examine the article to see if it holds up to the high standards of academic publishing. This is called peer review. Most academic journals are very narrow in focus and are written for a specific audience, unlike magazines which normally have a broader focus and are published to be read by as many people as possible. Most academic articles will have a bibliography at the end.