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Search Tips
Journal articles are more specific than books. Choose keywords accordingly.
Narrow down a search by using multiple search terms in separate boxes.
Look for suggested topics or subjects to link to related articles.
Use filter tools to narrow by date, geography, document type.
See your librarian if you get stuck!
Recommended Article Databases
- EBSCO (all databases) This link opens in a new windowSearch all EBSCO databases provided by Cal Maritime.
Intro: Watch a short tutorial on searching in any EBSCO database.
This link opens in a new window - ProQuest (all databases) This link opens in a new windowSearch all ProQuest databases provided by Cal Maritime
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowHistory, political science, literature. Not the best choice for current topics.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new windowContains articles from Humanities and Social Sciences journals.
- ScienceDirect This link opens in a new windowContains journal articles and book chapters in the areas of Physical Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Health Sciences and Social Sciences.
- Environment Complete This link opens in a new windowMultidisciplinary scholarly, government and general interest titles focused on human impact of the environment. Provides indexing, abstracts and full-text for open access articles.
If you don't see a good fit for your topic, you can browse or search the full list of Cal Maritime's databases.
- Cal Maritime Library DatabasesA to Z list of subscription library databases, including articles, reports, data, and images.
Scholarly vs. Popular
Scholarly articles usually have:
- An abstract
- A bibliography
- An author who is a scholar in the field
- Content that has been peer-reviewed
- Citations have volume(issue).
If you aren't sure if an article is actually peer reviewed, do a web search for the publication title and make sure it's a peer-reviewed journal.
Example:
Smyth, A. M., Parker, A. L., & Pease, D. L. (2002). A study of enjoyment of peas. Journal of Abnormal Eating, 8(3), 120-125.
This article is aimed at an academic or research-oriented audience.
Reading Journal Article Citations
This journal article is aimed at an academic audience.
Grow your Bibliography
1. Find a great source on your topic.
2. Mine it for keywords, subject headings, and sources in its bibliography.
3. Do more searching and watch your bibliography grow.