United States History

What is a “peer-reviewed” journal?

• Submissions are usually reviewed by professionals, such as professors, research scientists, or other scholars
• The scholarly professionals or “peers” have qualifications and interests similar to the authors
• Acceptance for publication is usually selective
• An editorial board may manage the journal, its contents, and the review process
• The journal is often searchable in prominent indexes within the discipline

Common elements of a scholarly or “peer-reviewed” journal article

Abstract – What is this article about? The abstract is a concise summary.

Introduction – What is the key problem, issue, or question?

Method – How will the author investigate the problem? With a laboratory test? Or a survey? Or another type of study?

Results – Research findings, including observations, statistics, graphs, etc.

Discussion / Conclusion – What did the author learn? What did the study prove? What questions are still unanswered?

References – What other scholarly articles did the author consult when conducting this research and writing this article?

Google Scholar is a great tool to find articles, but it includes fee-based websites. Through Library Services you have three options to access the full article content and bypass paywalls. 

1. Click our Google Scholar link, which is also found on our Databases A-Z page. This link will verify your access through your StarID. You will need to return to this link whenever you open a new browser.
2. Change your Library Links setting in Google Scholar. Your browser will remember these settings until you clear your cache.

With options 1 and 2, your Google Scholar results will include links such as ViewIt@MNSU and, after clicking the double arrow icon, GetIt@MNSU. These links will connect you to our library to access the item.

3. Install the Libkey Nomad browser extension. When you click on titles in the Google search results, LibKey adds access links into the publisher's page. LibKey will add these links to webpages until you uninstall the extension from your browser.