Journals, articles, and academic research

Journals are academic publications containing peer reviewed articles, which are assessed for quality and accuracy by experts. Journals are usually online and may be published frequently during the year.

Articles are individual pieces of research published in journals.  They are often used in academic writing and coursework because they contain up to date information and research.

What is peer review?

Peer review is a quality control process whereby academics review each others' work to check that it has been researched rigorously and contributes to the discipline that the journal covers. You can find out more about peer review here.

How can I tell if a journal article has been peer-reviewed?

• Use the 'Academic', 'Scholarly', or 'Peer-reviewed' button in your search results.
• Check the journal's homepage. Search online for the title of the journal, and the homepage will usually tell you.
• Ask your librarian!

Why are peer-reviewed articles so important? 

• Peer review is a measure of quality and authority in an article, the 'gold standard' for research. 
• Your lecturers expect you to use peer-reviewed research in your coursework, especially in the literature review section of projects, to get the best marks.
• Reading and using journal articles is a great way to stay up-to-date with current research in your fiel

These databases enable you to carry out a citation search. You can use them to:

• Identify journal articles 
• Find out how many times they have been cited
• Discover journal impact factors. 

Want to learn more? Check out the Library Guide on Research Impact to learn more about measuring the impact of research and bibliometrics. 

Identifying Highly-Rated Journals

The CABS Academic Journal Guide 2024 is a good way to work out what the most highly rated academic journals are for inclusion in your project. Use the 'Login or Register here' button to view a copy.

You can then find the direct link to these journals in our subscriptions using our Journals A-Z- search for the journal title, not for individual articles.

Limiting searches to highly rated journals

Want to limit your search to 4* journals?

Follow these steps to search only for articles published in highly rated journals. 

1. Use the CABS Academic Journal Guide to identify the journals you’d like included in your search.
   • You’ll need to register in order to view the list
   • Once you’re in, find your subject in the dropdown menu to see the highest-rated journals
2. Log in to Business Source Ultimate and select Publications from the menu at the top of the page.
3. Search for each journal title you identified in Step 1 in the Browsing box (the smaller box below the main search box).
   • Find it in the results
   • Tick the box next to it and select Add to add it to your search box.
   • You’ll notice that it appears in the top Search box.
   • Search for each subsequent journal you want to include in your search in the Browse box.
   • When you’re done, you'll see each of the journals on your list. Hit Search. Business Source Ultimate will remember this search.
4. Use the advanced search in Business Source Ultimate to search for your terms. Don’t review the results yet.
5. Select Search History beneath the search boxes. You should see the journals title search you carried out as well as your advanced search of terms. Tick the boxes next to each of these search items. Click on the box Search with AND.
6. Review your results. If there are too many or too few, adjust your advanced search in the Search History section. 

Please note, while you can see titles and abstracts for most materials, you will likely not have access to the full-text of every journal. Look for the is it @ City Library? link for access to the full text.

Expert tip: Business Source Ultimate remembers search history from a single session, but once you’ve logged off, your search will be lost.

If you want Business Source Ulitmate to remember your searches between sessions, you can sign up for an individual Business Source Ultimate account. To get started click Sign in on the upper right of the screen and find the option below the login area for ‘Don’t have an account? Create one now’ and follow the prompts to register.