Finding Magazine, Journal or Newspaper Articles
How do I find an article?
- Go to the Library Databases page on the Library's Web site.
- Choose a database by a broad subject area, such as Psychology or Business. Read the descriptions of the databases to choose the most appropriate one.
- Or, choose a database
to search by the title or name, such as Academic OneFile or Academic Search Premier.
- Once you're in the database, type in your topic
and click on the Search button.
- Find the most relevant
journal or magazine articles by reading the title of the article, the summary or abstract
(if available), and the full article (if available).
- Search for newspaper articles separately.
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How do I find the full text or whole article?
- The databases will indicate if the full text or whole
article is available. In Academic OneFile, for example,
look for the word "Full- text" in the hot link below the
reference. Also, you may see the option of viewing a PDF file.
EXAMPLE:
Historical analysis of college campus interracial dating.(Report). Michael W. Firmin and Stephanie Firebaugh. College Student Journal42. 3 (Sept 2008) : p782(7). (3205 words)
Full-text 7 PDF pages
- Most of the databases will have an option to limit to full-text. This ensures that you will find the article on the computer.
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The article I need is not on the computer. What do I do now?
- Do a Title search in the Library Catalog to find out if the
C.O.D Library has a subscription to the magazine, journal, or
newspaper that you need.
- Check the Journal Locator to find out if your article is located in another
online article database that is available on the Library's Web site. Link to
that database from the list and type in the article title.
- Use
Interlibrary Loan. The Library will order a copy of the article
for you from another library. The articles are free. Please allow 5 days for the article to arrive. If the article is sent to the C.O.D. Library by email, then it will be sent to your email account.
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What's the difference between a magazine and a journal?
- A magazine provides
general information and entertaining reading to a wide audience. Magazines
cover current news and general interest topics. Magazine articles are
usually short and easy to comprehend by the general public. They rarely
cite sources or include bibliographies. EXAMPLES: Newsweek, Psychology
Today, Sports Illustrated, Glamour, and Business
Week.
- A journal reports scholarly, often original research conducted by
professionals or experts in a given discipline such as medicine,
psychology, or literature. Journal articles are often long,
complex, and can be challenging reading for those unfamiliar
with the field of study. They will include abstracts (summaries), footnotes, bibliographies. EXAMPLES: Journal of
Abnormal Psychology, Journal of Accountancy, Ecology,
Journal of American History, and The International
Journal of Eating Disorders.
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My professor told me to find an article from a journal.
How do I do that?
You can limit your search to professional journals in an article database by checking the box "peer reviewed". A peer-reviewed journal has articles that have been reviewed by a panel of experts before the article is published. This review process ensures that the article is of very high quality. Not all journals are peer-reviewed, however. Ask your instructor if he/she requires peer-reviewed journals for your research project.
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Can I use the Internet to find articles?
Sometimes.
Finding them is difficult and usually costly though. Typically a publisher's
web site will allow you to search their archive of articles, but then charge
you for the full-text or whole article. The Internet is definitely not the
preferred place to look for professional or research journal articles. We suggest
that you use our article
databases if you know that you are looking for a published source of
information such as journals, magazines and newspapers.
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How do I know if the C.O.D. Library owns
a journal, magazine or newspaper?
- While you're in an article database, click on "Find This" to find out if the C.O.D. Library owns the periodical that you're looking for.
- You may also use the Journal Locator to find out if the C.O.D. Library owns the periodical. The Journal Locator will also tell you if the periodical is available in other databases available through the Library's Web site.
- You may also do a Title search
in the C.O.D. Library Catalog and look up the name of the journal,
magazine or newspaper to find out if the Library subscribes
to it and exactly what issues are held and their location.
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Can I check out a magazine or journal?
No. All issues are available for in-Library use and for photocopying.
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