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Crisis Intervention Research Guide

Information for students working on the HSE 225 Crisis Intervention Paper.
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What Is...

...a Scholarly Article?

A scholarly article (sometimes called a "journal article" or just an "article") is what a researcher writes when he/she wants to publish their research findings. For example, if a medical researcher conducts a study, they will write an article detailing how they conducted the study and what they found. They then submit their articles to a journal.

...a Journal?

A journal (sometimes called an "academic journal," a "scholarly journal," or a "peer-reviewed journal") is a publication that contains scholarly articles written by experts/researchers in a particular field or discipline. For example, researchers in the medical field will publish their findings in medical journals like the Journal of the American Medical Association, the British Medical Journal, or the New England Journal of Medicine

...a Database?

A database (sometimes called an "academic database" or "research database") is an online collection of resources, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, images, reports, and academic journals. Some databases focus on a specific topic, such as CINAHL (nursing and allied health). Other databases cover a variety of subjects, such as Science Direct (various sciences, including health and medicine). You can search databases using Boolean Searching.

...Boolean Searching?

Boolean searching is a method of searching for online resources. You can't search the databases in the same way you search Google or other search engines. You must use keywords and phrases. In order to expand or limit your search, you can use the Boolean Operators: AND, OR, NOT, & NEAR. For more information on how to use Boolean Operators, see the Tutorials tab.

...a Search Engine?

Search engines, such as Google and Bing, use your search terms to find websites that contain your search terms. While they're great at finding restaurant reviews and movie times, they aren't very helpful when it comes to college-level research. Why aren't they helpful? First, anyone can create a website that can then show up in a Google search. Therefore, you can't always trust the information you find online. Second, Google doesn't give you access to academic journals and databases. 

The following video explains the difference between scholarly and popular materials.

Carnegie Vincent Library. (2013, March 22). Scholarly and Popular. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/tN8S4CbzGXU

If the above video doesn't work, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://youtu.be/tN8S4CbzGXU

The following video explains how to read a scholarly article.

Western University Libraries. (2012, April 26). How to Read a Scholarly Article. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/3SmOq6gENPM      

If the video is unavailable, visit: https://youtu.be/3SmOq6gENPM