A database consisting of over 4 million abstract records of peer-reviewed literature in psychology, counseling and related fields, 1897- present.
Replaces Sociological Abstracts as the premier database in the area of sociology. It covers the content from Sociological Abstracts and provides additional full-text of books, conference papers, and articles, as well as back files which in some cases extend back to 1895.
Articles from nursing, allied health, biomedical, and consumer health journals.
Comprehensive index of articles on clinical medicine, biological sciences, and related fields.
The links below will take you to our Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper list where you will see the full-text availability for each journal.
While Google Scholar can be a useful source for finding journal articles, there are advantages found in using Webster University Libraries' databases, including:
For more information on using Google Scholar, view the FAQ: How can I connect Google Scholar to the Library?
Scholarly articles are sometimes "peer-reviewed" or "refereed" because they are evaluated by other scholars or experts in the field before being accepted for publication. A scholarly article is commonly an experimental or research study, or an in-depth theoretical or literature review. It is usually many more pages than a magazine article.
The clearest and most reliable indicator of a scholarly article is the presence of references or citations. Look for a list of works cited, a reference list, and/or numbered footnotes or endnotes. Citations are not merely a check against plagiarism. They set the article in the context of a scholarly discussion and provide useful suggestions for further research.
Many of our databases allow you to limit your search to just scholarly articles. This is a useful feature, but it is not 100% accurate in terms of what it includes and what it excludes. You should still check to see if the article has references or citations.
The table below compares some of the differences between magazines (e.g. Psychology Today) and journals (e.g Journal of Abnormal Psychology).
| Popular magazines | Scholarly journals | |
|---|---|---|
| Reference list, citations | no | yes |
| Appearance | flashy cover, photographs, advertisements | mostly text, often graphs and charts of data, few ads |
| Titles | short and catchy | long and precise |
| Article length | short | long |
| Audience | general public | students, professionals, researchers |
| Authors | staff writers, journalists | practitioners, theorists, educators |
| Peer-review | no | yes |
| Publisher | commercial company | educational institution or professional organization |
