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Locating
Periodical Articles
Choosing the Appropriate
Database
Steps
for Locating Periodicals
in the Library
Evaluating
Your Sources
Other Helpful
Information
Depending on your topic and assignment,
periodical articles may be an appropriate
resource to use instead of, or in addition
to, books on your subject. Periodicals
include popular magazines, newsletters,
newspapers, scholarly or professional
journals, or trade publications. Learn
more about the differences among scholarly
journals, newspapers and popular magazines.
There are two basic steps to finding
periodical articles on your subject in
the library.
- Choosing and using the appropriate
database or index to identify citations.
The citation gives you all the information
you need to actually look up the article:
the title of the article, author, name
of the periodical, volume, issue, pages
and date.
- Searching the library's online catalog
to determine whether the library owns
the periodical in which your article
is located and, if it does, to determine
where in the library the periodical
is located.
Choosing
the Appropriate Database
Southwestern University subscribes to
more than 100 library databases that
provide information about magazine and
journal articles. The databases differ
in terms of the time period and subject
matter covered. Some databases are bibliographic
and provide references (citations) and
abstracts (summaries) of articles. Reading
abstracts may help you decide if the
article is relevant to your research
need. Others are full-text and actually
provide the entire article on the computer.
To see which major electronic indexes
have a periodical you need to view or
search, use the library's Full
Text Journal Links link. Once you
have selected the periodical title it
will link you to the appropriate database.
Some databases cover many general topics,
while others cover one topic or discipline
in great detail. Academic
Search Complete and ArticleFirst are
two excellent databases that cover many
topics in a variety of disciplines. Usually
it's a good idea to begin your undergraduate
research in a general database like Academic
Search Complete. It is an index scholarly
or professional journals, popular magazines
and news sources.
Remember that each database has a particular
emphasis and indexes different periodicals.
Choose the database that is most appropriate
for your research needs. The Subject
Guides available on the library's home
page identify specialized databases
for each of the disciplines listed. A
complete listing of all our electronic
databases, with descriptions, can be
found at the Databases
A-Z page. Ask at the Reference Desk
for help in selecting and searching appropriate
databases.
Once connected to the database, note
what time period the database covers
and whether it offers citations, abstracts
or full-text. Learn
more about searching electronic databases
more efficiently.
Steps
for Locating Periodicals in the Library
(in any format)
Access the Voyager
catalog and choose "Journal
Title" to search for the periodical
title. The online catalog does not
give you information about specific
articles within periodicals. To identify
articles, select Databases
A-Z or Full
Text Journal Links on the library's
home page.
The online catalog will tell you if
the library has a current subscription
and when it started or ended. Once you
have the volume which contains your article,
you must find out where it is shelved.
Here is a holdings record for JAMA:
The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Title: JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association.
Author: Number of Copies: 1
Library/Collection/Call Number Format Status
1. A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library Center Text Active
1ST FLOOR, PERIODICALS ROOM
(Formerly called JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.)
Recent Issues in BIOLOGY Section:
v.287:no.1 (2002:Jan:02) - v.287:no.24 (2002:Jun:26),
v.288:no.1 (2002:Jul:03) - v.288:no.4 (2002:Jul:24/31)
Volumes 132-141 (1946-1949) and 249-286 (1983-2001) on MICROFILM.
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The subscription summary tells us that,
depending on the volume number, issues
of JAMA are either in the Recent
Issues section of Periodical Services
or on microfilm. Periodical Services
staff can help you find your article.
- Our most recent issues of periodicals
(usually the latest several months)
and magazines are filed in alphabetical
order by title within broad subject
areas in Periodical Services on the
first floor of the library.
- Our older issues of periodicals
are either bound (paper copy) or on
microfilm/microfiche in Periodical
Services on the first floor of the
library.
- The library subscribes to many national
and international newspapers. Our most
recent print issues of newspapers are
available in the newspaper reading
area in Periodical Services. Our previous
issues are housed behind the Periodical
Services Desk.
- Our older issues of newspapers are
often kept in microfilm in Periodical
Services.
Many full-text periodicals are accessible
through our online databases. To see
which major online databases have a periodical
you need to view or search, try the Full
Text Journal Links link.
If you need material that is not available
at the Smith Library Center, make a request
through Interlibrary
Loan. Interlibrary Loan is a service
for Southwestern students, faculty, and
staff that enables you to get books and
periodical articles from nearby libraries.
To request an article or book, complete
the online
request form, citing full and accurate
bibliographic information. This information
includes: author, title of article, periodical
title, volume, date, and page.
Evaluating
Your Sources
As you sort through your search results,
carefully select and record the best
citations. Scanning, choosing, and rejecting
citations is necessary given the amount
of information available in the library.
Abstracts (summaries) appear in most
databases and can be very helpful in
choosing the most relevant citations.
Watch for reliable authors and sources.
Although it is tempting to limit your
searching in some online databases to
retrieve only the articles available
in full-text, this approach can diminish
the quality of your work. Look more for
quality and relevance than for ease of
retrieval.
If you are using the Internet to collect
information, consider the source and
evaluate it carefully. There is no quality
control on the Information Superhighway,
but World Wide Web sites administered
by universities or government organizations
are usually among the best. Learn
more about doing academic research on
the Internet.
Other
Helpful Information
- Because periodicals cannot be checked
out, you will need to make a copy of
your article.
- Photocopiers are available in Periodical
Services on the first floor of the
library.
- Microfilm and microfiche printers
are in the microforms area of Periodical
Services on the first floor of the
library.
- For guidance on citing specific
articles, see Citing
Your Sources — Print & Electronic
Style Guides.
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