Journals and articlesScientific journals have an evaluation practice (peer review, referee) in place, whereby the text intended for publication is evaluated by at least one external party familiar with the field. To check if a journal is scientific (scholarly, academic) or peer-reviewed/refereed visit
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Peer review Peer review is a way of evaluating and assuring the quality of research before it is published. It involves critical evaluation by independent experts (peers) usually anonymously. The reviewers are usually appointed by the editors of a journal to which the work has been submitted. |
There are several types of articles in scientific journals. Usually peer reviewed are:
Journal article, original research publishes full reports of data from research. It includes full Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections.
Review article, literature review, systematic review provides a comprehensive summary of research on a certain topic as well as a perspective on the state of the field and where it is heading:
Some manuscripts such as letters, editorials, commentaries, book reviews etc. may go through a fast-track editorial review process, not peer-review, for speedy publication.
| Finding subject specific articles | ||
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Subject guides contain subject specific information sources and tools for searching scientific information and assessing the research. |
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| Finding articles in Oula-Finna | ||
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Search for an article title in Oula-Finna.
Links in Oula-Finna grant you access to the full text electronic version of an article. If there is no link, search for a journal title in Oula-Finna Books, journals, databases etc. |
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| Finding journals in Oula-Finna | ||
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Search for a journal title in Oula-Finna. Journals may be printed or be available online. Finnish journals are located in the Oulu University Library Legal Deposit Archive where the customers may borrow them for reading room use in the library. If the journal can't be found, go to the National Repository Library tab and check the availability of the journal in the National Repository Library. Customers can request article copies free of charge.. You may also try the nationwide Finna.fi. The content included in any organisation-specific site is usually limited to the material of the organisation in question. The interlibrary loan service searches and orders publications for loan and photocopies of publications. Also remember to check the municipal libraries e.g. Outi libraries. |
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| Finding articles in Google Scholar | ||
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Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. When you find an interesting article through Google Scholar, you can access it if the University of Oulu has access rights to the publication mentioned or it is openly available in some other way. |
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| Haka Login | ||
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All the printed and electronic resources available at Oulu University Library. When you log into Oula with your University of Oulu user ID (Haka Login), you have access to the electronic resources also from outside the University of Oulu Network.
A web search engine for scientific information. When you log in with your University of Oulu user ID, you have access to the licensed electronic resources also from outside the University of Oulu Network. Google Scholar quick guide | More information
Useful tips on how to access a scholarly article when the organisation does not have a valid licence agreement for the journal.
When evaluating an article, attention should be paid to the identity of the writer and to the journal. One should also evaluate the objectivity of the text and the amount and quality of references used.
More information on evaluating articles
| Received citations |
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In addition, one could evaluate an article based on the amount of citations it has received. Citing articles can be found in databases Ebsco and ProQuest as well as Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. |
| Evaluating journals |
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The amount of citations the journal's articles have had acts as the measure of the popularity and influence of the journal. All indicators of impact are calculated by dividing the amount of times the articles have been cited from a certain journal by the amount of articles published in the journal. The most prevalent ranking system is Journal Impact factor (IF) which is based on Web of Science data. |
| Publication Forum (Julkaisufoorumi, Jufo) |
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The Finnish Publication Forum is based on quality classification of scientific publications. The rating takes place in field specific expert panels. The rating of domestic and international scientific peer-reviewed journals has three levels: 1 = basic; 2 = leading; 3 = highest level. The purpose of the Publication Forum is not to list all existing publications, but only those academic channels that are relevant to the Finnish scientific community. Level 0 includes publications of varying quality, from professional journals and suspicious open access journals to university publication series. |
In the Publication Forum you can search for journals, publication series and book publishers that have a Publication Forum classification. The rating has three levels: 1 = basic; 2 = leading; 3 = top.
Journal Impact Factors (IF) for journals included in the Web of Science database are published in Journal Citation Reports. More information about JCR | More information about Impact Factor
DOI (Digital Object Indentifier) Unique and permanent identifier of electronic publications, articles, books and book articles, as well as data, i.e. research data. With DOI the publication can be retrieved online, so it is worth leaving it or adding it to the list of sources (APA7 help). The DOI can be found on the publisher's, book's or magazine's website or, for example, here: Crossref Metadata Search. Long DOI can be shortened in shortDOI service. ShortDOI is not usually found in databases, but with it the publication can be found online.
E-journal (E-lehti, elektroninen lehti) A journal that can be read online; an online journal, an electronic journal, a full-text journal.
Embargo (Embargo) Temporary ban on publication; delay, quarantine period, delayed availability, publication restriction, in which case the article may not be published openly or the full texts of the latest articles of the journal may not be provided through the database.
FinELib (Finnish National Electronic Library) FinELib is a consortium in Finland, which centrally acquires electronic materials for its member organisations and negotiates for the open access benefits with publishers.
Full-text (Kokoteksti) The content of a book or journal article in its entirety; most often a PDF or EPUB file.
ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) It allows the journal to be unambiguously distinguished from other journals. The printed and electronic versions of the same journal have a different ISSN.
JUFO-portal (Julkaisufoorumi) A service you can use to help determine if a journal is scientific (peer-reviewed) or a book publisher is reliable.
Licensed material (Lisensoitu aineisto) Material for which access is available on the basis of a contract, e.g. e-journals, e-books and databases ordered to a Oulu university or Oamk. The material is usually licensed for a specific contract period, e.g. a year or two.
Link resolver (Linkityspalvelu) Link resolver provides seamless access to electronic full-text content across all databases; for example 
or 
or LibKey-linkki.
Off-campus access (Etäkäyttö) The use of e-resources remotely, e.g. from home, requires a VPN connection or login with a university/Oamk username (Haka Login).
Open access, OA (Avoin julkaiseminen) Free access to information and unrestricted use of electronic resources for everyone. More information on open publishing. | Open access books.
Peer review, referee (Vertaisarviointi) Way of evaluating and assuring the quality of research before it is published. It involves critical evaluation by independent experts (peers) usually anonymously.
Predatory journal (Saalistajalehti) Open acces journal which aims only at collecting author fees.
Proxy (Proxy server) For remote access to e-resources requiring university/Oamk login; displayed at the beginning of e.g. database addresses (UniOulu: https://pc124152.oulu.fi:9443/login?url=; Oamk: https://ezp.oamk.fi:2047/login?url=).
Volume, vol. (Vuosikerta, volyymi) Numbers published during a given period, usually a calendar year.
