BIO 3351 Microbiology

You will need to cite at least two peer-reviewed scholarly articles cited in your project.  Since articles tend to be on very specific topics rather than general overviews, some areas of your project are better suited to information from journals..  For example, you will probably want to have article level information for project sections 6 and 7: 'Clinical Identification and Treatment' and 'Social Implications and Current Research."

NOTE:

While you need two peer reviewed journal articles for your project, you may use additional articles from other reputable journals that are not peer reviewed,  For example, MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, while full of excellent information is not scholarly/peer reviewed will not count towards the two scholarly journal references you need in your reference list, but it may be used to bring up your total number of citations.

The SPU Library provides access to millions of full text articles from magazines, newspapers, trade publications, and academic journals. To access these you can search in the library's article databases.

Choose a specific database using the drop down menus to find the ones in your subject area.

Or search multiple databases at the same time:

Start with Academic Search Complete.

When you have this open, click on "Academic Search Complete" above the search boxes.

You will then get a screen that lists all our EBSCO databases.

You can add specific ones or select them all.

Searching Tips:

1. Keep your search simple. Put one word or phrase in each search box

2. Sort your results by relevance

3. Look for "subjects" or "descriptors" to gather more keywords. Learn more about the ERIC Descriptors.

4. Try multiple searches using different combinations of keywords

1. Some things to consider when determining if an article is peer reviewed:

1. Make sure you have a journal article; not everything in a peer-reviewed journal is peer reviewed. Journals often contain other content such as editorials or book reviews which are not required to go through the peer-review process.
2. The following can usually be found in a peer-reviewed article
   • In-text citations and reference list
   • Specific style/organization: abstract, introduction, methods, results, conclusion
   • Data given in charts, tables or graphs
   • Formal/academic language

2. Some databases, like Academic Search Complete, allow you to click a check-box to say you only want peer reviewed journals. 

3. Search the Journal's website for Author Guidelines:

3. Still not sure if your article is peer-reviewed?  Ask a Librarian:lgg@spu.edu