FCC Research Guides: ENGL 101: Water Theme: Finding Scholarly Sources

Library Databases for Scholarly Sources

These are the Library Databases where you will likely find SCHOLARLY Sources, like Journals:

Doing a search on the term "water" in these scholarly databases will NOT give you good results. Make sure you have created a research question and that you have broken it down into keywords before you start searching.

Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Best Database to start. Includes scholarly journals in a variety of fields including lots of water-related articles. TO LIMIT TO SCHOLARLY ARTICLES CHECK THE "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" BOX.
GreenFILE (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Next place to search if you are looking at environmental impacts related to water. TO LIMIT TO SCHOLARLY ARTICLES CHECK THE "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" BOX.
Business Source Premier (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Search here if you are looking at what effects businesses or corporations have on water. TO LIMIT TO SCHOLARLY ARTICLES CHECK THE "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" BOX.
Health Source - Academic/Nursing Edition (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Might be a good source for medical or health issues related to water. TO LIMIT TO SCHOLARLY ARTICLES CHECK THE "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" BOX.

These are the Library Databases where you will likely find POPULAR sources, like newspapers and magazines.

National Newspapers (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Find articles from leading newspapers, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.
Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Has many news magazines and other popular resources. To limit to Popular Articles, check the "Magazine" box after conducting a search.
New York Times Historical Edition This link opens in a new window
Best place to find historic articles from the New York Times, all the way back to 1871.

The Library Catalog provides access to both popular and scholarly books. Search a broad topic below to see what you can find.

If an item is labeled an "Electronic Book," use the "click to view" link to access it.

Sometimes other types of scholarly or authoritative content is needed to help defend your paper's thesis.

Try out these resources to find specialized types of content.

PEW Charitable Trusts- Environment Group
Great non-profit that conducts and publishes research on a variety of subjects. The link above goes directly to the website containing their environment research.
Frontline: Poisoned Waters
Frontline documentary about imperiled American waterways. Available for streaming free online.

Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
Search for video and video clips on a variety of subjects from a number of producers such as BBC, PBS, and the History Channel. Searching for "water" does return lots of good results.
Statista This link opens in a new window
The world's largest statistical portal focused on businesses, industries, and media. Also includes infographics and charts.

Statistics and Demographics Research Guide
Guide to finding all sorts of statistic and demographic information at the national, international, and local level.
Google Scholar
WARNING: Many of the articles found in a Google Scholar do not include full-text articles without payment. Look for a short link to the right of the main result link. If there is a short link the article may be available for free. NEVER PAY for an article.

Scholarly Sources

Picture of the cover of the American Journal of Psychology, which is blue with some yellow lines.

Popular Sources

Picture of the cover of Psychology Today which is a sheep in glasses.

Author: Written by experts (scientists, professors, scholars) in a particular field.
Audience: Written for other experts in a particular field.
Language: Very technical and scholarly. Not easily understood.
Citations: Provide complete and formal citations for sources.
Review Process: Often reviewed by a panel of scholars in the field being studied. (Peer-Reviewed)

Author: Written by professional writers, journalists, or members of the general public.
Audience: Written for the general public.
Language: Basic and clear. Easily understood.
Citations: Provide informal or no citations for sources.
Review Process: Reviewed by an editor or self-published with no formal review process.

REMEMBER: Popular DOES NOT equal bad. Check with your professors to find out which popular sources they accept.