The term academic research refers to a specific type of systematic research conducted and published by academics, researchers, and professionals in their field of study.
The authors of academic research may be scientists, sociologists, educators, medical doctors, historians, English professors, etc, who write up their findings after conducting an experiment or systematic analysis.
Academic research articles are high-level pieces of technical writing, which often include the following components.
An abstract (or summary) discussing their essential question and conclusions from the research.
An analysis of previously published research about a topic, sometimes called a literature review
A discussion of their methods for conducting research
An analysis of their data and findings
A conclusion or discussion of their research and findings
This type of research is important because it provides new information for those in the field. These articles are often the primary source of information in the sciences. It also helps inform best practices or analyzes current systems.
Other terms often used to describe academic research include:
Journal article
Peer reviewed article
Scholarly research
Media Center Databases
All Gale databases include academic research articles
Select “Academic Journals” to narrow results
Strong database for research in the humanities (history, literature, psychology, sociology, etc.)
Accessible with a BPL ecard
Additional Databases
Only some content is free to access in the following databases.
Medical Research from the National Institutes of Health
All kinds of research (humanities, science, medical)
Articles from NASA available on PubMed.
Do not pay for access.
If an article is behind a paywall, don't pay.
Link
Article title
Journal title
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