How to Find Periodical Articles

How Do I Find Articles On My Topic?

Search for articles in periodical indexes. Many different indexes have been developed to meet the varied needs of researchers. An index mfay cover popular magazines only, it may cover only scholarly sources, or it may cover both popular and scholarly sources. Also, an index may cover many subjects or it may cover only one or two subjects. Examples:

  • Academic Search Premier (covers a wide variety of subjects in popular and scholarly sources)
  • Biography Index (a very specialized index that covers biographical profiles in magazines and other sources)
  • America: History & Life (U.S. and Canadian history, usually in scholarly sources)
  • PsycInfo (psychology, psychiatry and related fields in scholarly sources)

Choosing the most appropriate index for your research is very important. The Library's Research By Subject pages will help you to determine which one is best. To be sure that you are adequately covering literature for a particular topic, it is usually best to use more than one index.

How Do I Use An Index?

Each index is different. At minimum, an index will allow you to search by article author or by subject. Some indexes provide a browsable subject heading list (aka thesaurus). Some allow you to search other elements, such as words in an article abstract. To help you understand how an index works, many online indexes provide context-sensitive help screens - look for a Help button when you are in the database. Also, see tips for searching indexes and databases.

Does The Library Own All Of The Periodicals Covered By An Index?

Unfortunately, no. The Library subscribes to about 2500 periodicals. That's only a fraction of the number of periodicals published worldwide. Most of the Library's online indexes will help you to determine if the Library subscribes to the periodical you want: when you are presented with a citation list after a search, look for a button labeled Check availability @ Bowdoin. Click on this button to see if the Library subscribes to the periodical. If there is not a Check availability button, search the periodical title under the Find Journals tab in the Library Catalog. If we do not subscribe to your periodical, you will need to use NExpress or the Interlibrary Loan service to request the article.

Popular vs. Scholarly Articles

  • Check with your instructor to determine if articles from non-scholarly publications are acceptable; oftentimes instructors restrict research to scholarly sources.
  Scholarly Journals Popular Magazines
 
Examples Sociological Review
Economic Botany
Journal of Asian Studies
New England Journal of Medicine		 PC World
Newsweek
Psychology Today
Natural History
 
Value and Uses Reports of original research
In-depth analysis of topics
Lengthy, signed articles
Statistical information
Referred/peer reviewed
Substantial book reviews		 Current events and news
Brief, factual information
Short articles, sometimes signed Interviews
Some brief book reviews
 
Language College-level vocabulary
Specialized language of the discipline		 Non-technical vocabulary
Often simple language
 
Authors Researchers, academics, scholars Journalists
 
Sources Footnotes and bibliographies
Extensive documentation		 Few footnotes
Frequently no bibliography
 
Publishers Professional organizations, universities, research institutes, and scholarly presses Commercial/trade publisher
 
Graphics Graphs, charts, and tables
Ads are very rare		 Many graphics and photos
Many full-page color ads