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Lucy Scribner Library

Asian Studies: Articles/Databases

Academic Search Ultimate

JSTOR

Project Muse

Bibliography of Asian Studies

Asia-studies Full-text

MLA International Bibliography

ProQuest Research Library

Sage Journals

Oxford Bibliographies - Chinese Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals

Popular, Scholarly, & Peer Reviewed Articles

Characteristics of Popular Sources
  • Publications often focus on a variety of topics or within a larger discipline.
  • Authors are typically staff writers or journalists.
  • Articles are written for the general public.
  • Articles tend to be shorter in length and provide more general information.
  • Sources are rarely listed within or at the end of an article.
Characteristics of Scholarly Sources
  • Publications often focus on a specific discipline or sub-discipline.
  • Authors are typically scholars and/or researchers.
  • Articles are written for faculty/researchers using technical terms and jargon.
  • Articles tend to be longer and focus on a very specific aspect of a topic.
  • Sources will be listed throughout and at the end of an article.
Peer Review
Also known as Refereed, peer review is a process where articles submitted to a journal for publication are reviewed by the author's peers (other scholars and researchers in the same field).  These peers determine if the article should be published and will also make recommendations for edits to the article before publication.
 
Video created by North Carolina State University Library
 
Limiting to Peer Reviewed Articles in the Databases
Most databases will offer a tool to limit your results to only articles from peer reviewed journals.  
 
No Peer Review Limiter
If you are in a database that does not offer a tool like this and must use a peer reviewed article, you can search the journal's website.  Usually, the website will provide information about the scope of the journal and whether articles go through a peer review process.

Scholarly Articles

Scholarly articles check list:

  • Page length
  • Substantial list of references
  • Source cited throughout the text
  • Author's affiliations
  • Specialized vocabulary

Peer Review