An abstract is an introductory field of text before the main body of the text in a scholarly journal article. What the abstract does is to explain what the article is about, its main theme, and its conclusions. In short, the abstract can be considered a summary.
In searching for articles, we recommend that students use the drop down menu by the search box to limit their search to the abstract. This will usually ensure that the article will mostly or in part be about the subject they are researching.
Peer review is a process by which scholarly publications try to ensure "quality control," that what they publish is accurate and meets the standards of research and writing in their field.
When a scholar submits a book to a university press, or an article to a scholarly journal, the editor will send it out to two (usually) reputable scholars in the author's field to evaluate whether it meets the standards of historical research and whether it contributes anything new to the field. These are the peer-reviewers--because they are considered the author's peers (or equals) in the field--and if they approve of the manuscript, the published work will be considered "peer-reviewed."
We recommend that the articles you find be peer-reviewed, and therefore check the peer-review box when you do your article research. University press books are normally considered to be peer-reviewed.
To access Lewis University Library databases, enter your Lewis University username and password.
This is the same login information you use for Blackboard and the MyCampus portal.
Search all of the EBSCO subscription databases at once, from Academic Search Complete to SocINDEX.
Search across all ProQuest databases available through the Lewis University Library.
Broad collection of full-text scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers in most academic subjects, plus videos from the Associated Press.
Provides full text for more than 1,400 journals in all aspects of the humanities, with worldwide content pertaining to literary, scholarly and creative thought.
Access to full text from over 2,500 publications, and indexing and abstracts from nearly 3,600 publications, providing research support in core undergraduate subjects.
Full text and indexing for journals, books, book chapters, book reviews, dissertations and conference papers in sociology and related disciplines.
Collection of essential legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world, including state and federal statutes and legal cases.