Scientific Research Articles are those that report on research that has been or is being done. They include most if not all of of a variety of sections like: an Abstract, Introduction, Rationale, Objectives, Materials, Methods, Statistical Analysis, Results, Discussion, More Research Needed, Conclusion, and References
The key to finding scientific research articles is the required "Methods" section. See "Primary Research Articles" below for more details.
Find examples of Review Articles with Annual Reviews Database
From the Powell Library web site, select Find Databases, type “annual” in Database Title / Keyword box, Search, then select Annual Reviews*
Type in a topic OR select JOURNALS A-Z
BY TOPIC: refine the search by Publication Date: 2009 to 2012. Also, SORT: by Date so the most current reviews appear first on the results list.
BY JOURNALS A-Z: Select a relevant journal (cf. list below). Then select All Volumes tab. Then select 2012. Scroll through to find a relevant review article OR use the search box (top right) to search within the selected journal for your topic, SORT: by date and scroll through to find a relevant review article.
Literature Cited
Use the cited references (Literature Cited; Related Articles right column) to identify related primary research articles. Try selecting one of the location links connected with the reference to connect to the full text of the article (Crossref, Medline, Web of Science, etc.); use the DOI if there is one. If the full text is not open access, use interlibrary loan to get the article.
Related Articles
Use related articles to identify short review article on a specific topic. More importantly use the References associated with these articles to find related primary research articles. Any article that has more than ten pages is probably a research article.
Full text
Full text access is available for most, but not all, of the titles up to 2012. Some are only available earlier than that; the cutoff date varies. If, Choose Your Access Option tab appears (orange), we do not have full-text access for the selected year.
*Please note: the Powell Library has full text access to a limited number of titles. However, with sufficient support, Annual Reviews will convert every new volume to OA under a Creative Commons license and make it available for everyone to read and re-use. In addition, all articles from the most recent nine volumes are also accessible to all.
Last updated December 2024.
Find Primary Research Articles
All scientific research articles will include a "Methods" section, making this a very useful method (pun intended) for eliminating those articles that do not qualilfy]. Use the library catalog to search for your topic and include “method* in the search query. Like this:
su:anterior cruciate ligament AND kw:method*
virus method*
The asterisk commands the search engine to look for the root word (method) and any variation thereafter (methods, methodology, methodologies).
Use the Filters on the left of the results list to focus the results.
From Content Type select "Peer Reviewed" to limit the results to Academic Scholarly & Peer Reviewed articles.
From Year of Publication select date range as needed or use the "Custom Year Range"
Optionally: Filter by Language
Look for articles that exceed ten pages: Find Source: journal title volume issue date inclusive page numbers.
Open the full text of the article and look for a section labeled Methods as well as a section labeled Results. These are indicators that the article is in fact a primary research article (i.e. one that is reporting on research that the authors have done).
If the full text is not available, a careful examination of the Abstract may give an indication that the article is a primary research article. If you are unsure, bring it to Miss T. and she can look at it with you. Even if the full text of the article is not available, the library can get it for you through our InterLibrary Loan Services. Watch this short instructional video for details on InterLibrary Loan.
Last updated December 2024.