In general, internet users can trust basic information that they find on websites. When they want very specific information from scholarly sources, though, they need to know how to differentiate between good research and bad research. The line is not always clear, but there are several ways to help you find scholarly research online that has been written by professionals rather than laymen.
Use Your Library as a Portal
Many public and university libraries give their members access to online databases such as JSTOR, MasterFILE Premier, InfoTrac OneFile and Alt-Press Watch. These databases provide a plethora of research materials. Some of the databases specifically focus on academic articles. They might even focus on articles from a certain academic discipline. Others have articles from newspapers, magazines and websites as well as scholarly journals. The good thing about these databases, however, is that they tell you which articles appear in peer-reviewed journals and which appeared in popular sources.
Use a University Website
Many university websites contain articles written by professors. They might publish the articles through online academic journals, or give professors the option to publish their writings on personal pages. Be aware that most universities also give their students free space on their websites. These resources are not typically as reliable as those written by professors.
Use a Subscription Database
Subscription databases can give you access to articles published in journals not carried by library databases. Subscription services can vary significantly in cost. Some charge per month while others charge per article. Most researchers use these as a last resort when they cannot find the articles that they need through library databases or university websites. Most pay sites will give you an abstract of the article before you purchase it. Be sure to read the abstract to make sure that you need the information before you pay for it.