Learning

If you want to limit your search to books, select 'Books' under 'Resource Type' on the left hand menu of our library search.

You can find both ebooks and physical books. You will also find books from our partner libraries within Novanet, however you can limit to 'Cape Breton University Library' on the left hand side to find books at our library.

Searching the main catalogue will find journal articles, however you can also use online databases to find articles in journals, newspapers, and magazines (periodicals).  Databases are often specific resources on a subject (medical databases, business databases etc), designed to let you search within a subject and often offering more search options to let you narrow down your search.  Check the library's Databases (A-Z) list or consult our Subject Guides to locate the database(s) best suited to your topic or research. 

You will find PDF or hyperlinks to article full text within your database search results.  If full text isn't available, you can request articles via ILL.

Scholarly Articles

Your professor may expect you to use scholarly or academic journals. You can limit your search in Novanet to 'peer reviewed articles' in order to ensure they are scholarly. 

Scholarly articles are important to research; why are they valued?

1. authoritative
2. scrutinized and reviewed by other experts in the field (peer review) prior to publication
3. place where new research is revealed
4. published more frequently than books
5. direct you to more information (check the bibliographies)
6. sources for illustrative examples to support research