Locating
Background Information: Periodicals
 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.
1) 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.
2) 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
There are 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 of scholarly or professional journals, popular
magazines and news sources.
Remember 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
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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