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Radiologic Science, research project: Databases (journal articles)

Modality paper and presentation assignment

Scholarly/peer-reviewed journals

I encourage you to include, as at least one of your sources, a recent* research article from a scholarly/peer-reviewed journal. Why?

  • These articles are usually quite narrowly focused on some aspect of your modality, so this adds a level of depth to your "story"
  • Since this is recent research, your "story" will be up-to-date with the new questions in the field

*no more than 3 years old

Searching these databases: Keep It Simple, Scholar

I often strongly recommend you begin any of your searches simply, avoiding the urge to set a bunch of limiters, and entering multiple search terms into the search engine.

  • I recommend that you first begin, simply, with your modality, either in abbreviation or spelled out (you can use OR as shown below to search both).
  • Then, If you are only interested in peer-reviewed works, check that box
  • and if you are only interested in articles that are published within a certain time frame, set the date limit.
  • That's it. See what is available generally.

Screen shot of a search in the Proquest database, showing a top field key word, MRI, OR selected from the Boolean drop-down menu, and in the second field magnetic resonance imaging. The peer-reviewed box is checked, and a date range limit is set to 3 years.

Anatomy of a scholarly journal

So, your instructor has requested that you include as a source at least one scholarly (or peer-rviewed) journal article. Careful. Not all of the articles you find within a scholarly journal are appropriate for your research papers. For example, in any one issue of a journal, you can find editorials, obituaries, and book reviews in addition to the research articles your instructors is really talking about when they ask you to include scholarly, peer-reviewed works. Here is a brief PowToon describing the anatomy of a scholarly journal:

Source: "Anatomy of a scholarly journal" by Melissa Adams, Standard YouTube License

Relevant databases with scholarly journals

PubMed Central database

Google Scholar

Google Scholar Search

Google Scholar can also be a handy source for scholarly, peer-reviewed works. Note: Not every article that appears in your results list will be available to you in full text form for free. Only those results that have a link to the right of the article are available. See below.

If you find the perfect article via a Google Scholar search, but it is not available in full text, search for it in your TCC Library databases, and remember, your Library faculty are here to help you with that kind of thing!

screen shot of a google scholar search for fluoroscopy, showing an article with a link to the right - indicating that it is available in full text, and one article below it without a link. Annotation indicates that this article is not available free text, but the library in fact holds this article.

Anatomy of a scholarly article

If you are new to scholarly peer-reviewed research articles, here is a brief introduction to how to recognize them when you find one! Remember, you are probably a great reader, but none of us reads everything well. We need to be taught how to read materials that are outside of our experiences, and we need to practice. If you would like to learn more about finding and reading peer-reviewed scholarly works, come see a Reference Librarian at the Research Desk in the Library.

Source: "Anatomy of a scholarly article" by Amanda Dinscore, Standard YouTube License

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