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Biology 101 Essentials of Biology

How to Find Scholarly Research from Studies Mentioned in Newspapers or Magazines

Sometimes you come across a mention of a study in a news broadcast or magazine article.The newspaper, magazine, or website may be putting its biases on the study, so it is best to find the original study to read. 

There are multiple ways to find a study referred to in a magazine, newspaper, or news site. 

  • Select keywords or phrases used in the news article to search in Google or the OneSearch box to find the original research article.
  • Search the researcher(s) named in the news source using Google or the OneSearch box.
    • What scholarly papers have they presented before?
    • Where do they work?
    • How do other scholars view or review their research?
    • Are their studies referenced favorably in other scholarly papers?

 

Example: Finding a research paper from a Washington Post article

The example below show a Washington Post article found in the library database Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints. It refers to a study that is on the topic of climate change.

 

WP article referring to study

 

 

It refers to a study published in the National Academy of Sciences. Highlighted in yellow are a few on the main search phrases. 

 

WP terms highlighted

 

Searching the two phrases in Google using the AND Boolean operator between the two produced numerous results. By looking at the beginning of the URLs of the results, it appears the second one down may link to some information about the study. A citation to the original study would be useful!

 

NAS CC Google search results

 

 

The site links directly to the full text of the study. It is an open source journal. 

 

PNAS article elements IDed

 

Many reputable publishers and scholars are choosing to publish their material as open source, meaning you or your library does not have to pay for the article. It can still be considered a scholarly source if the publication meets the requirement for being a peer reviewed publication. 

 

About PNAS

 

Many PNS journals are peer reviewed although this particular one might not be.