ATH 103 Intro to Cultural Anthropology: Find Articles

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Find Articles

Search these databases to find articles on topics on topics related to cultural anthropology, social issues, and more.

Types of Articles

There are many different types of articles. The chart below can help you figure out which type(s) you're looking for or identify an article you've already found:

Decorative image of a newspaper News articles provide the most current information. Certain newspapers, such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, are also known for thoughtful, in-depth analyses of important topics and events.
Decorative image of a magazine cover Popular magazine articles can help you generate ideas about issues, controversies, or unanswered questions about a topic, which you might want to explore further. They sometimes refer to studies or scholarly work that you can track down for more information.
Decorative image of a trade magazine cover Trade publications are written by and for professionals within an industry. These are an excellent source of very specific information from inside the field.
Decorative image of a scholarly journal cover Scholarly journal articles go through a process of peer review before they are published. They are written by experts in the field (the people with letters after their name!) and their purpose is to advance the ongoing body of work within the discipline. These articles might present original research data and findings, or take a position on a key question within the field. They can be difficult to read, because their intended audience is other experts and academics, but they are at the top of the line when it comes to authoritative information.

What are Scholarly Articles?

You know you have to find them, but what are scholarly articles? This video explains!

If you're ever unsure whether a source is scholarly or not, a good way to check is to look up the journal it was published in via the Wikipedia. If it's scholarly, the Wikipedia entry will likely use words like scholarly, peer-reviewed, academic, or refereed. Here's an example from the description of the journal Nature.

Screenshot of Wikipedia entry for the journal nature showing highlighted words "Nature features peer-reviewed research" and "most prestigious academic journals"

 

Video: Find Articles through the PCC Library

Brainstorm Keywords for Searching

As you read about your topic, make a note of search terms that will be useful for finding articles on your topic. Sometimes, the words you naturally think of regarding your topic are not the terms that authors writing about that topic will use. 

Watch the 2 minute video from Portland State University below for some useful tips.