Why Articles?
The articles found in many scholarly journals go through a "peer-review" process. In other words, the articles are checked by academics and other experts. The information is therefore reliable. As well as containing scholarly information, journal articles can include reports and/or reviews of current research and topic-specific information.
Use scholarly journals when you need original research on a topic; articles and essays written by scholars or subject experts; factual documented information to reinforce a position; or references lists that point you to other relevant research. Scholarly journals take less time to publish than books, but the peer-review process can be lengthy.
Popular articles found in magazines are often written by journalist or professional writers for a general audience. They tend to be shorter than scholarly journal articles and rarely give full citations for sources. Popular articles from magazines are helpful if you want background on a topic that is new to you or very current information
Core Electronic Resources
- Library Catalog - Colorado School of Mines This link opens in a new window
Search the library's catalog for physical and electronic resources to find books, articles, maps, videos, and more. - Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Premier is a multi-disciplinary database offering information in nearly every area of academic study, including arts, biology, chemistry, computer sciences, ethnic studies, engineering, language and linguistics, literature, medical sciences, philosophy, physics, psychology, religion, social sciences, and more. - JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Full-text digital archive of scholarly journals, especially strong in Social Sciences, Humanities, Economics, and Mathematics. - Academic OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
This database includes full-text and abstracts of scholarly, trade, and general-interest periodicals covering topics in the areas of current events, general sciences and technology, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
An ever-expanding database that specializes in offering original PDF copies of full-runs of legal collections. It includes: most major legal periodicals, federal and state statutes, court decisions, attorney general reports and opinions, federal legislative history materials, treaties, foreign & international law material, and numerous specialized legal collections. The text of collections are fully searchable and there are tools to browse or find items by citation. - Military and Intelligence (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new window
Provides access to scholarly journals, magazines, and reports covering all aspects of the past and current state of military affairs. The database offers content in key subject areas including governmental policies, the socioeconomic effects of war, the structure of the armed forces, and more. - War and Terrorism (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new window
Contains millions of articles to help researchers gain valuable insight into conflicts and their causes, impact, and perception on a global scale. This collection is intended for analysts, risk management professionals, and students of military science, history, and social science. - World History (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new window
World History provides information on hundreds of the most significant people, events, and topics in World History. The publisher merged reference content with full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, images, videos, audio files, and links to vetted websites. - Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Collection (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
The Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Collection provides full-text coverage for aeronautics, astronautics, communications, computer and information technology, electronics, lasers, solid-state materials and devices, space sciences, and telecommunications.
eJournals in the Mines Collection
Scholarly, Professional, Popular?
Evaluating Sources
What kind of information do you need? If you are writing for a class assignment, you may be required to use peer-reviewed ("refereed") or scholarly sources. In any case, you should always look for sources that are authoritative. For more detailed help with evaluating your sources, see our Evaluating Information Guide.
Scholarly Checklist--Look for:
- Authors listed, with credentials
- Cited references and data, observations, or statistics to support conclusions
- Reviewed by peers or experts in the subject
- Purpose is to inform or impart knowledge, not to sell, persuade, entertain
- Appears impartial--few or no advertisements, no emotional language, unbiased
Authoritative--A source can have authority even if it isn't scholarly.
- Author and/or publisher is an expert on the subject
- Author's affiliations and contact information are available
Other Criteria-- these are not definitive, but worthy of consideration:
- Do you see errors in spelling, grammar, data?
- Is the publication in turn cited by other credible works published later?
- How current is the information (no date? be suspicious)?