Help: Research Strategy and Process: Finding Specific Types of Materials:

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Finding Articles:

Frequently Asked Questions: 

• Why do I need articles as part of my research?
• What's the difference between a journal and a magazine?
• How do I find articles on my topic?
• How many indexes are here at Cornell, and what are the differences among them?
• With all these choices, is it possible to figure out which periodical index to use?
• How do I go about searching a particular index?
• Ok, I've got my list of citations; how do I get the articles?

You can also learn how to find periodical articles by video. (To watch video clips you will need RealPlayer. To download free player visit www.real.com.)

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Why do I need articles as part of my research?
While books are an important part of any research project, articles from journals, magazines and newspapers generally provide more up-to-date and concise information.

What's the difference between a journal and a magazine?
In general, journals contain scholarly articles written by professors, researchers, or other professionals. They are published by academic or professional associations and are "peer reviewed", which means that other scholars have read and approved the research before they were published.

Magazines, on the other hand, have articles aimed at more general audiences. The articles are usually written by journalists, edited by editors with a journalism background, and published by commercial publishing houses like Time-Warner or Conde Naste.

For a more detailed discussion of this, see Distinguishing Scholarly From Non-Scholarly Periodicals.

How do I find articles on my topic?
To find articles from periodicals, start with a periodical index. A periodical index is a searchable list of articles published in journals, magazines or newspapers. The index will list the author, title, name of periodical, volume, pages and date of publication for each article cited. In some cases, an online index will also provide a link to the full-text of the article.

How many indexes are here at Cornell, and what are the differences among them?
There are thousands of different indexes in print and electronic formats available at Cornell. For most subjects, however, there are a handful of key indexes which cover most of the important periodicals in a given subject area. There are also subject bibliographies that may include articles.

Not only are there a large number of indexes, but there are many different kinds as well. For example, indexes may be focused on a specific subject area or be more multidisciplinary. Some indexes cover scholarly journals, some cover general magazines and/or newspapers, and some a combination of both. Finally, some indexes will provide a link to the full-text of the article and some may contain only a citation to the article -- title, author, abstract, etc.-- but not the article itself.

With all these choices, is it possible to figure out which periodical index to use?
Yes, there are several strategies for determining which are the best indexes to use for your research.

The Find it! links on the Library Gateway are a good place to start.

Find it!:

The Find it! interface provides a way to search multiple databases at one time from a select group of databases. The indexes are grouped under several broad subject headings. For more information about Find it!, see the Find it! quick guide.

Please note: The Find it! interface provides access to a select group of databases. Additional periodical indexes, along with newspaper databases, bibliographic databases, online reference sources, and more are available in the Library Catalog.

Cornell Library Catalog:

While most indexes are available in both electronic and paper formats, some are still available only in print. In addition, many electronic indexes cover only more recent years. For articles published earlier, you may need to search a print index.

For example, to find article indexes for sociology, open the Library Catalog and choose the Guided Keyword Search. Limit your search to serials by using the Set Search Limits button at the bottom of the page. Submit your limits. Type sociology in the first box on the Guided Search page.. In the second box, type indexes abstracts and choose "any of these" from the drop-down menu on the right.

Please note: All resources, whether online or in print, including those in Find it!, may also be accessed through the CU Library Catalog.

Another excellent strategy is to ask a reference librarian for help.

How do I go about searching a particular index?
While most indexes operate in the same fundamental way - you search for articles by looking up a particular topic, author, title, etc. - each will have its own unique search characteristics. At the same time, you will find strong searching similarities between indexes that belong to the same "family" - such as the OCLC Web databases or the RLIN databases.

There may be guides available in print or electronic formats that will help you navigate through many of the indexes available here at Cornell. Check the literature racks in the campus libraries, or ask a Reference Librarian. Help is also always available within the electronic indexes. Ask at the reference desk if you are having difficulty with a particular index.

Ok, I've got my list of citations; how do I get the articles?
In some cases, the citation will include a link to the full-text of the article. When a link to the full-text is not provided, you need to locate the journal that has published the article. Use the Library Catalog to locate the journal.

• From the Basic Search screen, type the name of the journal in the search box, for example, scientific american.
• Select Title or Journal Title
• Click the Search button.
• Examine the holdings information carefully to determine if the library has, or has access to, the specific volume and issue you need.
• In some cases, it may be necessary to review several different records for holdings information.
• If the library does not own the journal, or the volume, that you you need, you may request the article through Interlibrary Loan.

This topic is covered in more detail in the Help section of the Library Gateway under the Locating Journals (Periodicals) help page.

If the journal's Catalog record also indicates that it is a "Networked Resource," this may mean that the journal is available electronically, and your article may be available in full-text. You can access the resource by clicking on the electronic address listed in the record. The e-Journals link on the Library Gateway will also search for electronic versions of a journal.