Film and Media Studies 160: The Media Landscape

Once you find an article in one of these databases, you need to be able to read it! Follow these steps:

1) First, check the citation itself. Very often, the full text of the article is available directly from the database as a PDF, HTML, or "Linked Content."

2) If the database doesn't offer direct access to the full text, you'll see the Find It button. Click the Find It button to learn if the article is available through the Library, either online or in print.

3) If the Library doesn't have the article, you can search Google Scholar by typing the title of the article in the search box. If the article is openly available online, you'll see access options on the right side of the screen.

4) If the first three steps don't work, use Interlibrary Loan. If you click the Find It button and your article is not available through the Library, you'll see an option to Request via Interlibrary Loan. By clicking that link, the citation for the article you need will be pasted into the Interlibrary form automatically. Then, all you need to do is click Submit Request. Most articles will be available within seven business days.

NOTE: NEVER pay for an article. When searching for sources on the web, you will sometimes be given the option to purchase the article you need. Always use Interlibary Loan if the article you need isn't available through the Libraries.

If you have other questions, ask a Research Librarian.

A publication is considered to be peer reviewed if its articles go through an official editorial process that involves review and approval by the author's peers (people who are experts in the same subject area.) Most (but not all) scholarly publications are peer reviewed.

To check if your journal is peer-reviewed, go to Ulrichsweb.com.  Ulrich's is the authoritative source of bibliographic and publisher information on more than 300,000 periodicals of all types.  It specifically states if a journal is academic (under "document type") and if it is peer-reviewed (under "Refereed").

Watch this tutorial from North Carolina State University Library to learn about peer-reviewed articles.