Finding Articles in Periodicals
What are periodicals?
Periodicals are publications, i.e. journals, magazines or newspapers, issued at regular intervals that contain articles providing general information, commentary, and/or reports of research studies. The scope, frequency, and intellectual level of periodicals vary from popular magazines such as Good Housekeeping to specialized scholarly journals such as the Journal of American History.
How do I find articles on my subject?
Indexes provide direct access to periodicals. Periodical indexes are lists of articles appearing in magazines, journals and newspapers and are usually organized alphabetically by subject and author. They range from general indexes such as Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature to highly specialized indexes such as Exceptional Child Education Abstracts. (The library owns the former title, but not the latter.) Furthermore, some indexes are automated such as the Keyword Search index on InfoTrac, the online database. In most indexes, the citations (or references to articles) can be found by looking up (or typing in) a subject or author. If you do not find relevant articles with your first subject, think of synonyms for that subject or try a broader or narrower term. Ask the Reference Librarian for help if you still can't find anything. Indexes are published at regular intervals, usually quarterly or monthly. (Electronic information is updated daily.) When you are researching a topic in a periodical index, it is generally a good idea to start with the most recent issue of the index and work backward chronologically. Sometimes, however, you may be interested in looking at a particular year of an index. For example, if you are writing a paper on the Kennedy assassination, look at the 1963 volume of the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature to find references to contemporary articles on the event.
Does the library have the periodical I need?
After you have copied a list of articles relevant on your subject, consult the magazine directory to determine the availability and location of the journals you wish to find. The magazine directory is the white notebook located on the index table next to the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. It contains an alphabetical title listing of all library magazine holdings.
How do I find the periodical if I know the library has it?
Current hardcopy and electronic periodicals are located on the first floor in the Reference Room. The microform issues are located on the first floor in the Newspaper workroom. Back issues of the hardcopy collection are located on the second floor behind the general collection. All titles on both floors are arranged in alphabetical order by title.
How do I make copies of articles?
One photocopy machine is available on the first floor close to the Circulation Desk. Bound volumes and single hardcopy issues may be selected for copying. The cost is ten cents per page; change may be obtained via the coin changer or at the Circulation Desk. A microform reader/printer is available on the first floor and can make paper copies of microform articles. The cost is ten cents per page; you must pay for your copies at the Circulation Desk.
What if I need a periodical that the library doesn't have?
Don't despair. What we don't have in the library we can usually get through interlibrary loan. Ask at the Reference Desk on the first floor for information about this service. But remember - interlibrary loan can take up to two weeks, so allow yourself plenty of time to complete you assignment.
What if I still can't find my article?
You may always ask for assistance at the Reference Desk or at the Circulation Desk. The main thing you have to remember is that research is not a simple task, and that every college student has to learn HOW TO find information for their respective assignments.
Using Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature:
Readers' Guide provides subject access to articles in over 250 of the most popular magazines. Most bound volumes of Readers' Guide cover one-year periods; issues for the current year are paperbacks covering several weeks or months each. To identify articles on a particular topic, look alphabetically for the subject heading under which that topic is listed. Sometimes you will encounter the cross-reference see, which leads you from a heading that is not used to one that is. For instance, if you look under the phrase child care center in the 1989 Readers' Guide, you will see this note:
CHILD CARE CENTERS See Day care This tells you to look under the heading day care in the same volume. Another cross-reference is see also. This cross-reference lists other terms that might be helpful to you. DAY CARESee also
After school programs
Church and day care
Play groups
School of the 21st Century (Program) After the see also cross-reference you will find a list of pertinent articles from different magazines. America's child-care crisis: the first tiny steps toward solutions.
S. B. Garland. il Business Week p64-5+ Jl 10 '89Brighter afternoons for latchkey children [involving seniors in day care programs]. Il Aging no359:20-1 '89The child-care patchwork. I. Nyborg-Andersen and P. G.O'Brien. il Ladies' Home Journal 106:199-200+ N '89Choosing safe day care [views of Barbara Willer] S. Mahler. il McCall's 117:62 N '89CMV a risk in child car [research by Stuart Adler]. J. Raloff. Science News 136:327 N 18 '89
Each reference to an article is called a citation. A typical citation can be broken down into several parts:[Article Title] America's child-care crisis[Author] S.B. Garland[Special Features] il (illustrated)[Periodical] Business Week[Volume] this magazine does not have one[Page] p64-5+[Issue Date] Jl 10 '89 (July 10, 1989)Prior to 1988 periodicals were abbreviated. These abbreviations, plus those for month and seasons are explained at the beginning of each volume.
Remember: Copy or print out all of the information provided in the citation so that you will be able to find the article without time-consuming backtracking.
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