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Anthropology and Archaeology

A guide to Anthropology & Archaeology resources available through the Library

Research Tips

Here is the handout for your class. It provides more information than what is below.

 

You can search a each specific journal or many journals in a database.  Either way, make sure you are logged in through the BU library (otherwise you might not get access)

Specific Journals  (to find access to specific journals search the BU Journal List)

Here are the databases I would recommend you start with:

If you cannot find what you are looking for there, or if you want to search for citations you have found try these databases next:

Is something peer reviewed?

This is not always an easy answer because:

peer reviewed journals have non-peer reviewed content in them.

First check if article is scholarly.  Check if it has:

  • has references of other scholarly articles
  • is written by a scholar or expert
  • is written for author scholars so uses specialized terminology
  • has abstract
  • is organized in a specific way
    • introduction
    • methods
    • analysis/results
    • discussion
    • conclusion

Is the article peer reviewed?

Peer reviewed articles are a special kind of scholarly.

To make sure you have to check if the journal says that it is peer reviewed

To do so:

Search for the journal title in Urichsweb. The term they use for peer-reviewed is 'referred'.

You can also:

  • find journal in print or online
  • open an issue and look
    •  at the first few pages
    • or the last few pages
    • they often say if journal is peer reviewed
  • online at the journal site look for
    • about the journal or
    • author guidelines
    • one or the other should tell you if there is a review process

Again, not everything in a peer reviewed journal is a peer reviewed article. 

As you professor or a librarian if you are unsure.