FAQ: Friday How to find journal articles

FAQ: How do I find journal articles on a particular subject?

Aha! Excellent question, one that we hear many times, asked in many different ways.

The answer is somewhat complex, as there are many ways to locate articles on a particular subject. Several strategies and sources are described below, with major emphasis on choosing and using electronic databases to locate journal articles.

Browsing
Browsing through journals and magazines is a perfectly legitimate way to find articles of interest. If you aren’t familiar with the publications that best serve your interests, ask a professor to recommend a few titles. A list of journal titles arranged by subject is available in the Current Periodicals section. Or if you are feeling adventurous, spend a little time paging through anything that catches your eye. This is a good way to start brainstorming if you don’t have a topic in mind, but it’s not the most efficient way to find multiple articles on one particular subject

Indexes

An index is an organized collection of information about journal articles, creating a reference guide to published material. One of the most well-know is Psychological Abstracts. These volumes include citation information and brief abstracts of articles, arranged by subject, title or author.

Citations – title, author, journal publication information -- are used to locate the exact volume, issue and page number of particular articles.

Example: In the Art Pottery Tradition. Eberhardt, Tim. Ceramics Monthly, Dec2001, Vol. 49 Issue 10, p70, 3p.

With this information, you now know that the article entitled In the Art Pottery Tradition was authored by Tim Eberhardt and can be found in the December 2001 issue of Ceramic Monthly, beginning on page 70.

Using an index is very much like browsing, because once you locate the citation, you still have to go to the actual journal (print or electronic version) to access the full article. It’s great if you have a particular topic in mind, or a partial citation to track down, but in many cases the information found in indexes are available as part of an electronic database, so it’s more efficient to search the abstracts within the database interface.

Electronic databases

Online databases, such as Academic Search Premier, BioOne, or JSTOR, provide an easy way to search for journal articles on a particular subject. In many cases, you get access to the full text of the article in addition to the citation/abstract. It’s practically one-stop shopping!

A research database is a collection of citations, abstracts and full-text journal articles, organized and indexed to be easily searchable by keyword, subject, title, author, etc. Most databases offer basic and advanced searching modes, along with help pages that will guide you through some basic search strategies and explain any special features. Every database is unique, so it’s a good idea to check those help pages for specific tips.

It’s best to begin with simple keyword searches, review the results and either expand or narrow your searches as needed. Adding search terms narrows the search, taking terms away broadens the results.

Example: a keyword search for the word nursing will yield over 120,000 hits

Add the word pediatric and the results shrink to roughly 3,900 hits

It’s all just Boolean Logic, which is a topic for another FAQ:Friday, if anyone actually asks about it frequently enough, that is.

Back to effective database searching…

If you are having trouble getting the results you expect, please ask one of the librarians for assistance – we won’t do your research for you, but we’re happy to help you get started or provide some guidance along the way. If you prefer to dive in on your own, tip sheets for using several of the most popular electronic databases are available in the library and on the library website.

Choosing the best database for your research:

Selecting the best database for the job is tricky – some subjects are very straightforward, such as nursing. Others are multidisciplinary, like sociology or communications studies. A good starting point for basic research is Academic Search Premier – this database covers all academic disciplines and contains information and articles from more than 4,700 journals.

Sometimes you can determine the general content of a database from the name – like SocIndex (sociology) or BioOne (biological science). If you aren’t certain what subject a particular database covers, check the database list on the library website. Subject coverage is listed to the right of the title, or you can click on the More Info option which is in the far right column – a box pops up with a brief description of the database. If you still aren’t sure, you can consult a research guide at the library or ask one of the librarians for a little guidance.

No matter what strategy you decide to use when looking for journal articles, be aware that it isn’t always quick and easy. You may need to try many different combinations of terms and keywords before you find articles that fit your needs, you may end up trying several different databases, or browse many issues before you find what you need. It’s a good idea to give yourself some lead time when doing research, the articles you need might not be available online, or you might need to request a copy via interlibrary loan.

Speaking of interlibrary loan, be sure to check back next week. FAQ will de-mystify the ILL process and explain why it’s a researcher’s best friend.