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This is often used as a benchmark of academic quality. When a journal states that it is ‘peer reviewed’, it refers to the fact that the articles which it publishes go through a process in which fellow experts (peers) read and review submissions to ensure the quality of all articles that are selected for publication in the journal. The databases listed in Table 2.4 focus on peer-reviewed journals, although more generic platforms, such as Google Scholar, will often include both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed sources. With academic books, the review system is more varied and it can make sense initially to use texts which are recommended, or which are published by reputable publishers. These will be the sorts of publishers which typically pop up in your reading lists and which populate the reference lists of other publications.

Ace your assignment Search terms and search parameters

The importance of indexes in academic texts was mentioned earlier (see ‘i is for index’ above), but it is really important to use search terms and search parameters wisely to both identify your articles and to search within them. ‘Search terms’ include all of the specifying words that you use to locate relevant articles, while ‘search parameters’ act as a filter, specifying, for example, the date, name or type of publication from which you want your results to be drawn. Practise using different search terms and search parameters not just when an assignment is due – perhaps choose a topic that especially interests you, or one that you know well. Honing this skill will really help when it comes to the task of locating items for your assignments.

Table 2.4