Finding scientific information

Scientific journals are publications where researchers present their research findings in the form of articles. In many fields, journal articles are the primary way to publish and disseminate new research, making them a key source of information. Journals are mainly published by commercial academic publishers, but also by scholarly societies and universities.

The scientific quality and reliability of research published in scientific journals are ensured through peer review. Some journals are freely accessible (open access), while others are behind a paywall. University of Oulu provides students and staff with access to a wide range of scientific journals.

A scientific article is peer-reviewed.

Information about a journal’s peer review process is often available on its website. Well-known academic publishers such as Springer, Taylor & Francis, Elsevier, and Wiley provide accurate details about their journals’ peer review practices. However, the journal’s or publisher’s website is not always a fully reliable source when evaluating the peer review process and scientific credibility. It is advisable to verify this information from independent sources as well.

Structure of a scientific article

A scientific journal article typically follows the IMRD structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Additionally, it always includes a reference list.

• Research Article (Original Article): This is the primary form of scientific writing. It contains the full research report, describing research questions, methods, results, and conclusions.
• Review Article (Literature/Systematic Review, Meta-analysis): A comprehensive summary and analysis of existing research on a specific topic.
• Conference Papers: Present preliminary results of research projects, often long before the formal publication of the research article. Conferences typically cover current research topics, practical applications, and new theories. Conference papers may be published in journals (sometimes as supplements), in conference series, or as book chapters in edited volumes.
• Data Papers (Data Articles): These describe the collection, structure, and processing of a specific research dataset but do not include conclusions. They are often linked to openly published data.

Important distinctions:

• Peer review refers to the evaluation process by experts.
• Review article refers to a type of article that surveys existing research.

Not all content in peer-reviewed journals is peer-reviewed:

Peer review does not apply to all articles and writings in a journal. Scientific journals often include various types of articles.

Non-peer-reviewed writings include:

• Case reports or short reviews
• Editorials
• Book reviews
• Letters, discussions and comments

Peer review can be confirmed by using databases that require peer review from the journals they index. Examples include:

Many subject-specific databases, such as PubMed in biomedicine, and publisher platforms like IEEE Xplore (in information and electrical engineering), also contain only peer-reviewed articles or references. Check the database’s guide or help section for details.

There are also databases that allow you to limit your search results to articles published in peer-reviewed journals by applying a peer-reviewed filter. Examples include:

Peer review can also be verified using specialised online tools. The JUFO Portal (Publication Forum) evaluates both Finnish and international scientific journals. Another useful resource is Ulrichsweb. Using these services, you can easily check whether a journal is peer-reviewed, helping you ensure that your sources meet accepted academic standards.

If you rely solely on the information provided on a journal’s own website regarding peer review, you may accidentally end up using a predatory journal—a publication that presents itself as scientific but lacks proper academic standards. In some cases, predatory publishers may even hijack the website of an existing, legitimate journal.

Open access journals charge authors an Article Processing Charge (APC) instead of charging readers or institutions for access. While this model supports free access to research, it has also led to the rise of so-called predatory journals and publishers. These journals are primarily interested in collecting APCs and may engage in questionable practices, such as providing false information about editorial boards or failing to carry out genuine peer review.

A reliable list of peer-reviewed, open access scientific journals is available in the Directory of Open Access Journals.

• Avoid predatory journals
• Hijacked journals as a nuisance to the scientific community

All ordered magazines are listed in the Oula-Finna database. In addition, you can find open access scientific journals and articles online. Scientific journals are primarily subscribed to in electronic format. Information on the availability of journals subscribed to by the University of Oulu Library can be found in the Oula-Finna database.

Users of journals and articles must comply with the terms of use of the materials. The terms of use are provided on the websites of the FinELib consortium, the database, the publisher, or the journal.

Search in Oula-Finna   

• If the article is published in an international journal, go to the E-materials tab. 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.

If the journal can't be found, go to the National Repository Library tab and check the availability of the journal. Customers can request article copies free of charge..

The interlibrary loan service searches and orders publications for loan and photocopies of publications.

Finding articles in Google Scholar

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.

Haka Login

Log in with your University of Oulu user ID for off-campus access to electronic resources.