Google Scholar Search
Scholarly vs Popular Articles: Understanding the Difference
Scholarly Articles
· Are lengthy
· Are written by professors, researchers or scholars
· Are written to inform other scholars of original research or experimentation
· Are written in more specialized or technical language
· Have footnotes or bibliographies
· May contain research findings or data
· Are generally available only by subscription
Popular Magazine or Newspaper Articles
· Have glossy covers
· Are written by journalists or reporters
· Are written to inform, to persuade, or to entertain
· Are intended for a general audience
· Usually do not contain bibliographies
· Can be purchased at a grocery store
Looking for a Specific Journal?
If you want to find a particular e-journal by name, look for it here. You can search by complete or partial title.
- E-Journals A-Z
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Title-by-title database of the journals available full-text in electronic form through University of Kentucky Libraries' subscriptions. The primary purpose of the E-Journals Database is to give you access to specific, known journal titles you are seeking. (Search for JOURNAL here, not ARTICLE.)
Scholarly and Popular Articles
Academic Search Complete is a good place to begin when you are looking for articles because it covers all disciplines in both popular magazines and scholarly journals. Academic Search Complete indexes thousands of titles and provides the full-text for many of the articles. Academic Search Complete allows you to print and/or save your results. You can even email articles to yourself already preformatted with the citation style of your choice.
Opposing Viewpoints is another good source for articles on current event topics. If you are having trouble deciding on a topic to write about, Opposing Viewpoints can give you some good ideas. Opposing Viewpoints includes short essays, academic articles, newspaper articles, reference, statistics, related web sites and other data.
Access World News contains articles from local and regional newspapers, including the Lexington Herald Leader and several other Kentucky newspapers.
Nexis Uni is a good source for newspaper articles. It covers over 5,600 news, business, legal, medical and reference publications, primarily newspapers, magazines and journals.
The View Now button attempts to get you to the full-text of an article. 
Click on this button in your search results to link to the article, to link to InfoKat Discovery to search for a print copy, or to request a copy through Interlibrary Loan.
Selected Primary Source Databases
What is a primary source? Generally, primary sources are those that document history as it is being made.
This documentation can be written, visual and oral, but it is produced as close to the event or person being studied as possible. Some examples are:
- newspaper articles
- interviews
- oral histories
- diaries, letters, and correspondence
- autobiographies/memoirs
- research data
- government information
- legislation
These databases will help you find artifacts (newspaper articles, pamphlets, artwork, etc.). If you have trouble finding what you need, ask us for help.
- Early American Newspapers
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Full-text, mostly late 18th/early 19th century, covering colonial and early American history, with titles from 23 states and DC. - American Broadsides and Ephemera, 1760-1900
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Fully searchable full-text of 30,000 posters, playbills, proclamations, menus, advertisements, invitations, fliers, certificates, billheads, ship cards, deathbed confessions, pop songs, etc. Some facsimiles in color. The broadsides illustrate a fascinating range of life in 18th- and 19th-century America. - Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800
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Over 36,000 texts covering life in 17th- and 18th-century America, e.g., agriculture and auctions, foreign affairs, diplomacy, literature, music, religion, the Revolutionary War, temperance, and witchcraft. - Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819
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Over 36,000 texts, completing the Early American Imprints set. Series II is based on the noted “American Bibliography, 1801-1819” by Ralph R. Shaw and Richard H. Shoemaker. - 19th Century U.S. Newspapers
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Digital facsimile images of both full pages and clipped articles from hundreds of 19th century U.S. newspapers. For each issue, the newspaper is captured from cover-to-cover, providing access to every article, advertisement and illustration.
Show Me How
Watch this video to learn how to find articles using Academic Search Complete. (pdf version)