You will need to find scholarly articles to serve as a solid base for any arguments you make in your paper. Databases have all kinds of articles in them, not just peer reviewed sources. Use the criteria below to help you figure out if a particular article is scholarly or not.
Note that a peer reviewed journal is only one piece of confirming an article has been peer-reviewed. Even scholarly journals have opinion pieces, book reviews, product reviews, etc.
Scholarly: Can always tell who wrote it; the author is an expert in the field with available credentials.
Popular: Name or credentials may not be provided; has little to no expertise on the subject.
Scholarly: Written in jargon for other professionals in the field to understand.
Popular: Written in non-technical language anyone can understand.
Scholarly: Reviewed by a board of experts (peer review).
Popular: Reviewed not by experts in the field but by a staff editor.
Scholarly: Sources are referenced with in-text citations and a bibliography.
Popular: References to outside sources are rare and do not include a bilbiography.
Scholarly: Longer articles with in-depth analysis, generally at least five pages long.
Popular: Shorter articles with a broader topic focus.
Scholarly: Clear sections like an abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, and bibliography. May include illustrations that directly support the text like a table or graph.
Popular: Does not follow any particular structure. Images may be glossy color photographs or include advertisements.
You can search for databases by name or by subject.
Databases are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can use them on or off campus. If you are using them from off campus you will be prompted to put in your SU username and password (the same one you use for Gull Net, MyClasses, or an SU computer).