# Reference sites **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 10, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reference-sites/509570 "2009-09-10T16:26:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reference-sites/509570/1 "2009-09-10T16:26:04Z")
Are there any reference websites out there that provide a comprehensive library of articles from peer-reviewed journals, magazines, newspapers, etc.? My two college classes require lots of researching and the college library is a mess. Google is not much help as the topics are very narrow. I’ve searched the Dope quite a bit but between the time limit and all the interesting threads, not much research gets done. Any help out there? ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reference-sites/509570/2 "2009-09-10T16:55:58Z")
Your library should have a ton of electronic journals that you can search through the various data bases. You should check with your school librarian for some hints as to how to use these data bases and how to use the filters. Many of these data bases only contain peer-reviewed papers to begin with. Also, you should know that you can get an idea of what’s out there by using Google Scholar, which lists mostly academic papers. You can often find the beginning of an abstract there, but you’ll have to go through your library’s portal to see the entire article. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reference-sites/509570/3 "2009-09-10T17:57:22Z")
> [@Lionne](#): > > Google is not much help as the topics are very narrow. Have you tried Google Scholar? > **[Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=peptidoglycan+isomerization)** ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reference-sites/509570/4 "2009-09-10T18:38:42Z")
I’m a librarian, and I’m sorry that your “college library is a mess”. However, the best sources for journal articles are still the indexing and abstracting services that libraries subscribe to. They used to be in print form, but now they are most easily used in electronic form. The reference librarians at your college library should be able to point you to, and help you use, appropriate journal indexing and abstracting services. And learning to use these is part of a college education. Having said that, there are other online services that you can use without going to a library. Google Scholar is a good general one, and there are many specialised ones. However, in general, they aren’t going to be as comprehensive or as well-organised as the services that your college library should be subscribing to. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reference-sites/509570/5 "2009-09-10T19:16:59Z")
The best journal search engines are topic-specific. What’s your area of research? ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reference-sites/509570/6 "2009-09-16T17:21:30Z")
Sorry for the delay, I’ve been procrastinating! I did email with my professor and found out exactly what she’s looking for as far as references. Basically anything peer-reviewed or edited (an ‘edu’ site, reputable newspaper or of course the online library) is acceptable. **Chronos** , I’m currently taking Organizational Communication and Business Law. Both have research papers and discussions due that rely heavily on cites. The topics vary, so I have something different every week. This week it’s workplace conflict, last week was mindful listening. I got dinged 4 points by having an article from Entrepeneur Magazine, which I thought was acceptable. I hadn’t heard of Google scholar, **Squink**. It looks good; I see a couple .edu results. I’ll try slogging through the online library again. It’s just set up horribly and feels like a waste of time. I figured there had to be something better! Thanks again all, I’ll update with grades soon. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reference-sites/509570/7 "2009-09-16T17:48:53Z")
> [@Lionne](#): > > I hadn’t heard of Google scholar, **Squink**. It looks good; What am I, chopped liver? (See post #2)😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reference-sites/509570/8 "2009-09-22T16:54:49Z")
Hey, choppe- **CC** , sorry about that! 🙂 I got a hundred on the project, yay! I used the library successfully and also got a hundred on the week’s discussion posting, so it looks like I am set for the semester. I have three more projects due, so I’m thrilled to finally have acceptable references. Thank you all!