Skip to Main Content

Find Articles - Plymouth

Database Setup

Tools are available to facilitate access to articles available through Marian library subscriptions.

LibKey Nomad will provide a link directly from a database to articles in the library's subscriptions. Google Scholar can be linked with the library catalog to provide direct access to articles.

The tabs above provide instructions for setting up these tools.

Off-campus (anywhere except the Indianapolis campus) access to library resources is provided through a proxy server.  To access them from home or some other off-campus location:

  1. Go to the library's web site or a LibGuide.
  2. Click on a database or e-journal resource.  A Marian University login page will display.
  3. Enter your Marian user name and password (ones used for your Marian e-mail account).  The system will connect to the resource.

If you have problems with off-campus access, make sure your browser software is up-to-date and able to accept cookies. Also, confirm that your network firewall settings allow access to the library’s web site.

LibKey Nomad is a browser add-on that facilitates access to articles available through Library subscriptions. It links our catalog to publisher web sites to show when the Library has a subscription and if not, to point you to other ways to access an article. And because it is a browser tool, you will know if an article is available before you have to log in.

Nomad can be downloaded from their Download page. 

Once LibKey Nomad is installed, you will be prompted to select an institution. Type marian in the box then click on Marian University to complete the process.

Note:

While Google Scholar has a familiar interface, is relatively simple to use and can be an excellent resource, there are certain limits to be aware of:

  • Google Scholar does not provide criteria for what constitutes "scholarly" results
  • The Advanced Search options are limited. There are not limits for:
    • Peer Reviewed
    • Full-text
    • Discipline (it is like searching all databases at once, there are more efficient ways to search)
  • Google Scholar does not provide notice of when materials are updated

Databases

Below are the most commonly used databases on the Plymouth campus.

Identifying Articles

Scholarly Articles

Scholarly articles (also known as Peer-Reviewed, Academic, Professional, and Refereed) are written by researchers or experts in a field in order to share the results of their original research or analysis with other researchers and students. These articles often go through a process known as peer review where the article is reviewed by a group of experts in the field.

  • It’s not always easy to tell if an article has been peer reviewed. Some databases will help by labeling results scholarly or academic. However, you will still need to examine each article to be sure that it’s scholarly.
  • The following characteristics can help you determine if the article you’re looking at is scholarly:
    • Author(s) name included
      • Scholarly articles are written by experts or researchers, so make sure that the author’s name, along with their institution and scholarly credentials are included.
    • Technical or specialized language
      • Scholarly articles will often use technical or highly specialized language.
    • Written for professionals
      • Scholarly articles are published in academic journals. Academic journals have titles that suggest they are written for professionals in a particular field of study, and not for the general public.
    • Charts, graphs, and diagrams
      • Scholarly articles communicate research results. They will often include charts, graphs, or diagrams.
    • Long (5 or more pages)
      • Scholarly articles tend to be long. They are usually five or more pages.
    • Bibliography included
      • Scholarly articles will always include references to the sources cited or a bibliography.

Source: University of Wisconsin Libraries

Standard components of a research article:

A research article can often be identified by its format. Typically, it will have many of the following components, with labeled headings:

Author credentials: Author's degree(s), professional affiliations

Abstract: Brief description of the contents of the article

Literature review: Reviews the existing literature about or related to the subject of the research article

Methodology: Explains the research question and methodology for data collection

Results: Explains the results of the research, often includes charts/graphs

Conclusion: Sums up entire project, indicates areas for future study

Reference bibliography: Bibliographic citations for all resources cited in the research article

There are publishers who are taking advantage of the need and desire of authors to publish and they engage in what is called Predatory Publishing. These publishers will make the promises of legitimate publishers, but they fail to deliver. Their biggest offense is skipping the peer review process (even though they may state otherwise). The problem is that these publishers are degrading the body of scientific literature. Their journals may have articles with no scientific merit or skipped steps in the research process.

Spotting an article from a predatory publisher can be difficult and relies a lot on your being a conscientious researcher. Some tips for avoiding these articles include:

  • Use a library database that allows you to limit searches to Peer-Reviewed articles
  • Look at the journal's title, does it combine topics that don't normally go together (e.g. International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology)
  • Visit the journal's web page
    • Is the contact page just a web form, is it missing information on the publisher's location?
    • Does the site look dated or not well maintained (dead links, spelling and grammatical errors)?
    • Is there excessive advertising and/or the advertising interferes with viewing the content/navigation of the site? If it looks like clickbait, it probably is.
    • Is the publisher's contact email from a free provider (e.g. @gmail.com, @aol.com, @hotmail.com)
    • Is the publisher promising a quick turn-around? (the peer-review/publishing process usually takes months)
  • Check the journal titles against lists like Beall's List or Quackwatch

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)