Library
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 may 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. Although the Library subscribes to thousands of periodicals, it'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 in the Library Catalog. If we do not subscribe to your periodical, you will need to use 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 | |
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| Examples | Sociological Review Economic Botany Journal of Asian Studies New England Journal of Medicine |
PC
World Newsweek Psychology Today Natural History |
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| 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 |
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| Language | College-level
vocabulary Specialized language of the discipline |
Non-technical
vocabulary Often simple language |
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| Authors | Researchers, academics, scholars | Journalists |
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| Sources | Footnotes
and bibliographies Extensive documentation |
Few
footnotes Frequently no bibliography |
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| Publishers | Professional organizations, universities, research institutes, and scholarly presses | Commercial/trade publisher |
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| Graphics | Graphs,
charts, and tables Ads are very rare |
Many
graphics and photos Many full-page color ads |
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This page maintained by Library Web Team. Last update: August 17, 2004.