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PSYC 200: Rendon, L. (Winter 2025): Find, use, and read peer-reviewed articles

This library guide provides resources and tips for students in Liza Rendon's PSYC& 200 class and final assignment

Why use different types of articles for your research?

Why Use Different Types of Articles?

Different types of articles give you different perspectives on your issue:

  • Scholarly or Peer-Reviewed or Academic Journal articles
    • Good to find results of scientific or academic research. 
    • They are written for scholars and provide in-depth analysis of a very specific area of your topic.
  • Trade Journal articles
    • Good for finding articles written for specific professions (police officer, veterinarian...etc.) 
    • They may offer analysis of how an issue affects the profession.
  • Popular Magazine articles
    • Good for summarizing information on a topic for the general public. 
    • They often provide some background, summarize research findings, and may provide some analysis of a topic.
    • In addition they sometimes provide the "human side" of an issue by featuring the story of a person or people affected by that issue.
  • Newspaper articles
    • Good for facts and up-to-date information. 
    • They often provide little analysis of a topic, and may not provide much background especially if it is an ongoing issue. 
    • Some newspaper articles can share similarities with popular magazine articles.

Psychology library databases

Need more database options?

Database link:

Video tutorial for PsycARTICLES, with sample searches:

Sample search:

  • Type in keywords that relate to your topic
  • Before hitting the Search button, scroll down to set limiters, such as:
    • full text for the article
    • years of publication
    • scholarly/peer-reviewed articles
    • and more!

Peer-reviewed articles and how to read them

Context for PSYC& 200 final assignment:

The final reflective critical analysis assignment mentions empirical evidence in the instructions for analysis:

  • Empirical evidence/studies/outcomes/data/statistics

Let's make sure we know what empirical evidence is and looks like!

What is an empirical study versus a literature review (also known as a "lit review")?

Empirical studies:

  • are reports of original research, usually results of lab experiments
  • have sections for the introduction, materials & methods, results, and discussion
  • include key phrases like "we tested" and "in our study, we measured"

Literature reviews:

  • are critical evaluations of material that's already been published
  • define or clarify a purpose; summarize previous investigations; identify problems or gaps in knowledge; and suggest next steps
  • do not include original (physical or lab) research

Image source: "Empirical vs. Review Articles" by William H. Hannon Library - Loyola Marymount University is in the Public Domain, CC0

A journal article that is peer-reviewed/scholarly with empirical evidence usually includes the following:

  • abstract, which provides a summary of the article
  • introduction, which includes background info and description of the author's purpose
  • materials & methods, which has details about the study so that other scientists could repeat the study
  • results, which includes any new observations, data and findings
  • discussion, which describe what the findings mean and their implications, and address potential criticisms of the study

Source: "Anatomy of a Journal Article" by Dominique Turnbow, UC San Diego Libraries

Source: "How to Read and Comprehend Scientific Research Articles" by umnLibraries is licensed under the Standard YouTube License

Highlights of the video:

BASIC STRUCTURE
  1. ABSTRACT (Why? How? What?)
  2. INTRODUCTION (Hypothesis, Survey of the Literature - Broad to specific) 
  3. METHODS (How to replicate the study. Detailed explanation of data sources or original collection (primary/secondary), as well as methodolog/ies applied.)
  4. RESULTS (Tables and Figures. May include discussion of validation instrument and whether the findings were significant.) ​
  5. DISCUSSION (Including questions for further research.)
A- D- I- R- M ORDER 
  1. Abstract (Why? How? What?)
  2. Discussion (Answers the hypothesis or research question and explains how results support the conclusion.)
  3. Introduction
  4. Results 
  5. Methods 
MAIN POINTS FREQUENTLY SUGGESTED BY:  
  • TITLE; ABSTRACT; KEYWORDS; TABLES & FIGURES; END OF THE INTRODUCTION 

Additional sources:

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