If you are searching Google Scholar off-campus, set your preferences in Google Scholar Settings to link to the Saint Mary's online collections.
For information on journal quality and what to look out for when searching for journal articles on the web (e.g., in Google Scholar), see the Library's Open Access guide page on Predatory Publishers.
You can also look up a journal in the following source as one way to check for quality and credibility:
The following databases are suggested starting points for research in Philosophy. To access a database off-campus, use your SMU email and password to login. View a full list of the library's databases on the A-Z Databases webpage.
Other useful databases:
Many articles are available as preprints or eprints before actual publication. Search these databases to find the "gray literature."
Do you have a citation to an article? Check our Journal titles A-Z list to see if it is available at the Library.
Also known as peer-reviewed journals and academic journals. Many scholarly journals are peer-reviewed. If a scholarly journal is peer-reviewed, it means that the articles contained within the publication have been anonymously reviewed and evaluated by scholars in the field prior to publication. This process ensures that the quality of the research presented is high.
You can establish if a journal is peer-reviewed by looking at the guidelines for article submission (often found in the front or back of the issue), or by consulting the journal's website for this information. The Library's Research Help desk can also help you identify peer-reviewed journals and articles.