STEP FOUR: FIND ARTICLES ON YOUR TOPIC

To find journal, newspaper and magazine articles on your topic, search a periodical database.

Periodical databases are not search engines (e.g., Google); they are indexes to periodical literature.

A periodical database is a collection of information on a specific subject or on a variety of subjects. Periodical databases may contain citations and summaries of articles (e.g. author, article title, journal title, volume, issue, date, page), or have the complete or fulltext article, or both. Depending on the database, it may contain scholarly journal articles, popular magazines, trade publications, newspaper articles, reviews, abstracts of dissertations, and more.

You can access periodical databases by clicking on the GALILEO or Databases link from the Ingram Library homepage.

Searching Databases to Find Articles on Your Topic:

1. Start at the Ingram Library home page.

2. Click on the GALILEO link from the toolbar near the top of the Library homepage.

   

   Doing so will take you to the GALILEO home page.

   

   GALILEO is a collection of databases on a variety of subjects and disciplines. If you are accessing GALILEO from home you will need the current GALILEO password to access any of the databases. Click here for information on how to obtain the current password.

   Realistically, be prepared to search more than one database. There is not one perfect database that has all the information you need.

   Sample topic:

   Using our sample topic, let's say you are interested in finding information in GALILEO on:

   The effects of alcoholic beverages on the health of college students.

   This topic could be researched by searching the databases listed under the Business/Economics, Medicine & Health, News/Facts Reference, and Social Sciences subject headings on the GALILEO home page.

   

   You could also use a general database, such as Academic Search Premier (from EbscoHOST) or Research Library (from ProQuest) by clicking on one of the links from the center of the GALILEO home page.

   

3. Let's begin by searching a general periodical database. From the center of the GALILEO homepage, click on the link to:

   Research Library
   (from ProQuest)

4. Doing so will take you to the Advanced Search screen of ProQuest's Research Library.

5. At the Advanced Search screen, enter your topic's keywords in separate boxes. For example:

   alcohol

   health

   college

   would look like this:

   

6. Keywords are connected with Boolean connectors (also known as Boolean operators).
   • AND is a Boolean connector used to connect different terms together in the same search sentence. Connecting two terms with AND narrows the search, because a record must have all the terms in the title, abstract or text.

   • OR is a Boolean connector used to connect similar terms together in the same search sentence. Connecting two terms with OR broadens the search.

   • NOT is a Boolean connect used to limit or exclude words when conducting a search.

7. Consider using truncation symbols. Most databases allow you to use either the symbol "*" or "?" to retrieve variants of a term. For example: alcohol* will retrieve the keywords: alcohol, alcoholic, alcoholism, etc.

8. Some of your search results will be fulltext, some will include photographs or graphs, while others will have only citation and summary information (e.g. author, article title, journal title, date, volume, issue, page and summary).

   

   The symbol, indicates that the fulltext of the article may be read online.

   The symbol, indicates that photographs or graphs are included or that the fulltext is captured as a photograph of the actual article.

   The symbol indicates that the article is in PDF, or portable document format, which means that the fulltext has been captured as a photograph of the actual article. You will need a PDF reader, such as Adobe Acrobat, installed on your computer to read these articles.

   The symbol indicates that the article is not fulltext in the Research Library database. However, the database may point you in the direction of where you might locate the article, such as in a different database or in the Library.

9. If you would like to read the fulltext of an article, click on one of the titles with either the Full Text, Text+Graphics, or PDF symbol under it.

   Click on the Subject(s) Headings to find other articles on your topic.

   

10. Examine and evaluate if the article is relevant to your topic. Add relevant sources to your bibliography. Consider annotating your sources for future use, by writing a short summary/evaluation of their contents.

11. Click one of the following buttons to print or email this particular article.

    

12. Consider searching another database to find additional information. If you need help, ask a Librarian.

DOES THE LIBRARY HAVE THE JOURNAL I NEED?

1. Start at the Ingram Library homepage.

2. Click on Catalog from the toolbar on the Library home page:

   

3. Clicking on Catalog will take you to the Quick Search screen. From this screen, click on Exact Search, as shown below:

   

   From the resulting screen:

   1. Type the name of the journal title in the search field.
   2. Click on Journal Title.
   3. Click on the GO button.

   

4. If the Library has the journal, click on the journal title to view the catalog record.

   

5. Scroll down to the Volumes Owned information of the journal at the bottom of the record to determine if the Library has the volume you need. Notice that in the example below, the Library's holdings (copies owned) begins with volume 35, 1975. The most current issue owned is v. 64, no. 4 (2003 July).

   

6. If the volume and issue you are looking for is listed, go to the Periodicals Collection on the first floor of the Library and locate the appropriate volume/issue on the shelf. Ask a reference librarian if you need assistance locating the periodical.

7. Examine and evaluate whether the article is relevant to your topic. Add relevant sources to your bibliography.

8. You cannot checkout periodicals. However, there are photocopy machines on the first floor of the library.