Source: T1-Brainstorming Beginning Research Worksheet (Part 5), Grand Canyon University
Tags: GCU library, LopeSearch, peer-reviewed articles, abstract, permalink, APA citation, academic research, database searching, UNV-104
Difficulty: Beginner | Prerequisites: Complete the Brainstorming and Pre-Writing Strategies notes first (Part 1 of this worksheet series). You will need your chosen topic, brainstormed keywords, and Boolean search phrases before starting this section.
Academic essays need credible evidence, and credible evidence lives in peer-reviewed journals, not on the open web. This section teaches you how to use a university library's online tools to find, evaluate, and cite those journal articles. The skills here (database searching, reading abstracts, saving permalinks, generating APA references) are not just for this one assignment. They are the backbone of every research paper you will write in college.
If the brainstorming and keyword work is "deciding what to look for," this section is "learning where and how to look."
Access the GCU library online, use LopeSearch with your Boolean phrases to find peer-reviewed articles, read the abstract to check relevance, save the permalink (not the browser URL), and use the Cite tool to generate an APA reference. Repeat for each source you need.
LopeSearch
GCU's multi-database search tool. It searches across many academic databases at once, so you do not have to search each one individually. Think of it as a meta-search engine for scholarly articles.
Peer-reviewed (refereed)
A publication process where other experts in the same field evaluate an article before it is published. In simple terms, the article was checked by qualified people, which makes it more trustworthy as a source.
Abstract
A concise summary (typically 150 to 300 words) at the start of a journal article. It covers the article's purpose, method, key findings, and conclusions. Think of it as a preview that helps you decide whether to read the full text.
Permalink (persistent link / document URL)
A stable, permanent URL that points directly to a specific article in a database. Unlike the browser address bar link, it will not expire after your session ends.
Cite tool
A feature built into most library databases that auto-generates a citation for an article in various formats (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). It is a starting point, not a final product: always check the output against the official style guide.
APA format (American Psychological Association)
A citation and formatting style widely used in social sciences, education, and business. It specifies how to format in-text citations, the References page, headings, and the overall paper layout.
References page
The final page of an APA-formatted essay, listing every source cited in the body of the paper. Each entry includes the author, date, title, and source information in a specific format.
In-text citation
A brief reference within the body of your essay that points the reader to the full entry on the References page. In APA, it typically looks like (Author, Year).
The library's main website is at library.gcu.edu.
You can contact the library for help in several ways: live chat, email, and phone. If you have been searching for more than 15 minutes without results, stop and contact a librarian.
The library is the starting point for all academic research in this course. Avoid going straight to Google.
On the library website, click "Find Journal Articles" to access LopeSearch.
Type your Boolean search phrase into the LopeSearch search bar. This phrase should combine your main topic with one of your sub-topics using AND.
Check the "Peer Reviewed" box before clicking Search. This filters out non-scholarly sources.
Sign in with your GCU credentials if prompted.
The results list shows article titles, authors, and sources. The first result listed is what the worksheet asks you to record.
Click on an article title to open its detail page.
The detail page shows the authors, source journal, subject terms, and the abstract.
The abstract is your decision-making tool: read it to determine whether the article is relevant to your essay before committing to reading the full text.
For the worksheet, you must copy and paste the abstract and explain its value to the research process.
On the article detail page, look for the Tools column on the right side.
Click "Permalink" to generate a permanent link to that article.
Copy and save this link. It is the only URL that will reliably take you (or your instructor) back to this exact article later.
The URL in your browser's address bar is temporary. It is generated by your search session and will break once the session ends.
On the same article detail page, click "Cite" in the Tools column.
A pop-up will show the article formatted in several citation styles. Select APA.
Copy the APA reference, but do not blindly trust it. The database citation tool often has small formatting errors.
Check the reference against the APA style guide (available in GCU's Student Success Center, Writing Center section) and fix any issues.
In APA, the full reference goes on the References page at the end of your essay.
The worksheet requires you to find three peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to your chosen topic.
For each article, you record: the title, the Boolean terms you used, the permalink, the abstract, and the APA reference.
Use different Boolean phrases for each search (combining your main topic with each of your three sub-topics) to get articles that cover different angles of your essay.
Do not reuse the worksheet's example entries. Your table must be entirely your own work.
Students often think Google Scholar is the same as the university library. It is not. Google Scholar does not always give you full-text access and does not filter for peer review by default. LopeSearch searches GCU's subscribed databases and provides full-text access.
Students often assume the Cite tool output is perfectly formatted. It rarely is. Small errors in capitalisation, italics, or punctuation are common. Always verify against the APA manual or the Writing Center's style guide.
Students often copy the browser address bar URL instead of the permalink. That URL is session-specific and will stop working once the search session ends. The permalink is found through the Tools column.
Students often skip reading the abstract and go straight to the full text. This wastes time. The abstract tells you in 30 seconds whether the article is relevant to your essay.
The worksheet questions specifically ask you to explain why abstracts are valuable and why permalinks matter. Do not just paste the abstract or link: you must also write a short explanation in your own words.
The three-article table in Step 6 is a graded component. Each row must be fully completed with a unique article (title, Boolean terms used, permalink, abstract, APA reference).
APA citation accuracy is assessed throughout the course. Getting comfortable with the format now reduces errors in later, higher-stakes assignments.
Always check the "Peer Reviewed" box when searching. Submitting a non-peer-reviewed source when the assignment requires peer review will cost marks.
True or False: LopeSearch only searches one database at a time. (False. It searches many databases simultaneously.)
Fill in the blank: To filter search results to scholarly sources, check the ___ box before clicking Search. (Peer Reviewed)
True or False: You should copy the URL from your browser's address bar to save a link to an article. (False. Use the Permalink from the Tools column.)
Fill in the blank: In APA format, full source information goes on the ___ page at the end of the essay. (References)
True or False: The database Cite tool always produces a perfectly formatted APA reference that needs no checking. (False. Always verify against the APA style guide.)
Q: List three ways you can contact the GCU library for assistance.
A: Live chat, email, and phone.
Q: What is LopeSearch and why is it useful for academic research?
A: LopeSearch is GCU's multi-database search tool. It is useful because it searches across many academic databases at once, saving you the time of searching each database individually.
Q: Describe the steps to find a peer-reviewed journal article using LopeSearch.
A: Go to library.gcu.edu, click "Find Journal Articles," type your Boolean search phrase into LopeSearch, check the "Peer Reviewed" box, and click Search. Sign in with your GCU credentials if prompted.
Q: Why should you read the abstract before reading the full article?
A: The abstract summarises the article's purpose, methods, and findings in a few sentences. Reading it first tells you whether the article is relevant to your topic, so you do not spend time reading articles that are off-topic.
Q: Explain the difference between a permalink and the URL in your browser's address bar.
A: The browser address bar URL is temporary and tied to your current search session; it will stop working once the session ends. A permalink is a permanent, stable link found through the database's Tools column that will always point to that specific article.
Q: After using the database's Cite tool, what should you do before including the APA reference in your essay?
A: Check the generated citation against the current APA style guide for formatting errors. The Cite tool often produces references with small mistakes in capitalisation, italics, or punctuation that need to be corrected manually.
This connects directly to the brainstorming and pre-writing module, since the keywords and Boolean phrases you built there are the input for your library searches here. It also connects to APA formatting and academic writing, which you will use in every essay going forward. The skill of evaluating source credibility through abstracts and peer-review status ties into broader information literacy, a competency tested across multiple courses.
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