Select the topic you are researching. Narrow your search options. If you are researching a topic for a college course, you may already have the topic.
Go to a library. A library — especially a college or university library — keeps scholarly journals on its stacks and in a computer database.
Search a database. Select the database according to your topic. For example, for a social science topic, you may want to search in PsycINFO. You can also look in a general academic, interdisciplinary database like Academic Search Elite. The general databases are not limited to a single discipline.
Limit the database search. Some databases, such as Academic Search Premier and WilsonWeb, allow you to limit your search to peer-reviewed, scholarly journals or refereed articles.
Identify the peer-reviewed journal article. Read the article to ensure that it is not a news article. The article should have footnotes or bibliographies. Also, the writer uses specialized terminology related to the topic.