Peer-reviewed articles are available in many of the LSSC research databases. Go to Databases A-Z. Select a database and login. Then check the box that says peer-reviewed, academic, or refereed.
Best Databases for Nursing Courses
The databases below contain articles on a wide range of topics in the fields nursing, medicine, and allied health. Remember that most nursing courses require that your sources be 3-5 years old.
Sources like APA PsycArticles or Sociology Source Ultimate may be helpful for topics that deal with psychology or sociology.
Here's a screenshot of a basic search for an article in CINAHL Complete. Notice that the full text and the date limiter boxes are filled in to produce more relevant results.
In this database you can search multiple databases at the same time, by simply clicking the "Choose Databases" link and selecting the databases you want. In the screen shot below we selected APA PsycArticles, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE with Full Text, and Sociology Source Ultimate.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a tool by Google that searches specifically for peer-reviewed and other scholarly sources. In many cases, accessing the retrieved sources is limited to subscribers or require a large fee. Do not pay for any scholarly sources. Instead, contact a librarian for assistance.
Google Scholar can be set up to search Lake-Sumter State College databases for articles. For instructions, consult the specific FAQ linked below.
Refresher on Peer-Reviewed Articles
Peer-reviewed articles can be found in peer-reviewed journals. Peer-reviewed journals (also known as academic, scholarly, or refereed) are a type of periodical written with the following characteristics:
- written by scholars in a particular field in order to move the discipline forward
- subjected to a process of review by other experts in that same field to judge whether the research, arguments, or conclusions drawn from the research are sound
- usually present results of original research
- usually written and signed by experts
- may include charts, graphs, and tables, and may be written in complex language for other experts in the field
- usually appear in periodicals with titles that include the words “Journal” or “Quarterly”
- include a bibliography
- advertisements will be specific to the field in question.
Peer-reviewed journals should not be confused with other periodicals like magazines or newspapers which are written by journalists for the general public.
Please contact one of our Librarians in person or through our Ask a Librarian if you have questions.