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Search Databases
The Library subscribes to about 85 different databases. Many are subject specific and the various subject guides in this collection will alert you to the best ones.
You have to be a bit careful with databases--some limit themselves to articles, some include popular sources within them. Many cover various languages, and however carefully you follow the search tips we discussed earlier, you might still get irrlevant or unusable references. Fortunately almost all databases allow you to restrict your results according to criteria you can set. Here is an sample from an EBSCOHost database:
Can you identify at least five ways the search has been limited?
Why Peer Review?
Peer Review is the evaluation of creative work by scholars in the same field in order to maintain or enhance the quality of the work in that field.
In the case of peer reviewed journals, which are usually academic, peer review generally refers to the evaluation of the articles in them prior to publication.
Because peer review represents an aspect of quality control--in university, you are normally expected to rely on peer reviewed literature.
For more follow this link.
Newspapers and Magazines
Sometimes you will need to look for current material that has not made it into the peer reviewed literature. For inspiration take a look at the subject guide entitled Newspapers and Magazines.
Finding the Full Text of Articles
Within a database, the full-text of articles is often attached to the bibliographic record. If it is not, Get it @ Laurentian allows you to get the full text if: a) it exists in another library database; b) it is held in print on the library's shelves; or c) it is held in another library.
You will often see this button 
or the link Get It @ Laurentian next to search results in various databases:
Clicking this button launches a special search in Omni's link resolver, which does the following:
- Omni searches the library's numerous electronic resource sites to locate the full text of the corresponding bibliographic citation. If the full text is available at Laurentian University, Omni provides links for the various sources, whether online or held by the library in print.
- If Omni does not believe Laurentian has access to the full text of the item in online or in print, it offers a Get it from another library link. Click the link to open a form and request a digital copy of the article, or a print copy of an entire book. This service is offered for free by the library to Laurentian University students, staff, and faculty.