Whenever you are assigned a topic that you are unfamiliar with, or if you need to research the foundational, historical, and/or background information for a topic, country, theory, or person, then it's a good preliminary step to take a few minutes to research the background information using Credo Reference. This database will give you a better foundation of knowledge for your topic, and will also provide a list of relevant, scholarly sources.
In some library databases, there is an option to narrow your search results to peer-reviewed only. These are scholarly sources that have undergone an extra level of authenticity by being approved regarding the content. Peer-reviewers approve articles based on issues such as: Is the research up-do-date? Is it contributing something to the field? Is it presenting all sides? If not, is it at least acknowledging the lack? Are the structure and citations correctly formatted?
Helpful tip: look for any options to narrow down your search to scholarly or peer-reviewed only. Typically, this option is located on the left side or right side of a search/results page, or at the top or bottom of a search/results page. Sometimes, you will need to look for and click on the Advanced Search option to find this. Remember, though, sometimes this option is simply not available.
Visit the Information Delivery Services page to request a book, article, DVD, or other materials from another university library in the event that Marshall Libraries can't provide access.