Need help finding a topic?
Brainstorm ideas by reviewing current literature, reference materials, and the news.
Check out topic list in these databases:
Check out Nature or Science magazine for current topics.
Be sure to choose a topic that interest you; it helps keep the research interesting!
Empirical Studies (Research Reports) - Primary sources where authors report on their own study.
Review Articles - An article summarizing studies in a field, attempting to identify trends or draw conclusions.
Theoretical Articles - Looks for terms like concepts, conceptual, framework, model, theoretical foundation, and perspectives.
News, Book Reviews, Opinion, Letters to the Editor, etc - Brief articles providing insight or opinion.
From the NCSU Libraries
What is the peer review process?
The peer review process is a method used by scholarly journals to assure the quality and relevance of the articles they publish. When articles are submitted, the editor sends copies to reviewers who are experts in the subject of the article. Reviewers read the article and offer an opinion on whether it is worthy of publication in the journal, whether the author shows adequate knowledge of the research on the subject to date, and whether the article adds to knowledge in the field. If selected the article will be considered a peer reviewed (referred) article and published in a peer reviewed journal.
Where do I find peer reviewed articles?
The easiest and fastest way to find peer reviewed articles is to search library databases, many of which include peer-reviewed journals. To make sure your results come from peer-reviewed (also called "scholarly" or "academic") journals select the limiter for peer reviewed only.
