Scholarly journal articles are those that are typically:

• Peer-reviewed by experts in the field.
• Published in reputable journals from scholarly or professional societies, university or academic presses, or other research organizations (such as government or nonprofit agencies).
• Indexed in one or more research databases that focus on particular subject areas.

Other types of articles may appear in trade publications, popular magazines, newspapers, online scholarly blogs, or digital research commons. Most of these are not peer-reviewed, but may contain useful information or citations. Some of the databases below include these types of publications, but results can be filtered to identify peer-reviewed publications only.

Primary sources are first-hand source materials that may include observations, data, experimental results, interviews, narratives, case studies, or other original research materials. Primary source materials may include quantitative or qualitative data, and may be derived from clinical, experimental, or field research.

Most journal articles and book chapters are secondary sources that offer analysis, interpretation, or critical responses to the original object of study, including those primary sources of data and observation. They are meant to synthesize, organize, and explain the information found in primary sources.

An empirical study is one that is based on the original creation or gathering of data & evidence, and a subsequent analysis & interpretation of that material. It generally precedes those studies that summarize, synthesize, or organize previous research into a broader analysis.

A literature review is a summary of scholarship that provides an overview of research on a subject. Many empirical studies include a brief literature review, but longer reviews are often published as a separate article or book chapter. In a database search, you can specify "literature review" in your search terms to identify these articles (see pdf link below for an example).

See also the UNT Libraries Literature Review Process guide for more information on conducting scientific literature reviews. 

A systematic review is a more extensive, structured analysis of a large body of scientific literature on a particular topic. It should include a comprehensive, replicable, and fully-documented search methodology that aims to identify all of the relevant literature on the topic, organize it, and evaluate it according to the researcher's established criteria. "Systematic review" from The A-Z of Social Research (Sage, 2003) offers a thorough introduction, as does "Systematic Reviews" in the Encyclopedia of Social Work. (National Association of Social Workers Press and Oxford University Press, 2013). Sage Research Methods database has much more information for a deeper dive. The University of Michigan Library has an extensive guide to conducting systematic reviews, including a helpful graphic that illustrates the process. The University of Sidney Library has a guide that is useful, and an archived version of it includes timelines for each phase of the review.

Links to additional resources:

Use these databases to find indexed journal articles from thousands of journals across multiple disciplines. Hover over the info button for details on their contents.

Some include the full text of the articles (use the "Find Full Text" button within each database), while others include only bibliographic information and abstracts.  For the latter, you can check UNT's journal holdings (see "Journals" box below) to see if we have print or electronic full-text versions of those journals available.

Articles in journals not held by UNT or not available in full-text format may be requested in electronic form through Interlibrary Loan. 

Psychology Journals at UNT

Electronic journals held by UNT, including current holdings by database. These are full-text journals, in most cases, though some may have "embargoed" content (usually the last 6-18 months) that is only available by individual subscription.

Print journals have a variety of locations: