Finding Articles
It is very important to consider
your search
strategy before you start looking for any information for your term
paper. This will help you decide where and how to search for that information.
How NOT to find periodical articles
Before describing how to find periodical articles, it is important to emphasize
how NOT to find them.
-
YOU CANNOT SEARCH FOR PERIODICAL ARTICLES IN THE LIBRARY CATALOG. The library
catalog will tell you if the library subscribes to a particular journal,
but articles within those journals are NOT included in the database.
-
Generally, it is not efficient to try and find articles on a particular
subject by browsing journals. This is, however, a useful technique to use
when you are trying to choose a term paper topic.
How to find periodical articles
You can use any combination of the following strategies to find articles
for your term paper:
1. Search journal indexes
-
A periodical that lists or contains either citations to articles or full-text
articles (and sometimes reports, dissertations, book reviews, books, and
chapters of books) is called an index. At the Library, we have indexes
available in several formats: online (through the character-based and web-based
and through the Internet Stations in the OPAC area), CD-ROM, and print.
-
Indexes are organized so that the citations or full-text articles can be
searched by subject (and often by author, title, keyword, date, etc.).
They usually specialize in a specific discipline, geographic area, or type
of material indexed, but they can be multidisciplinary.
-
To find articles on your topic, you must search the appropriate index.
Which
Index Should I Use?
-
Search techniques and options for different indexes can vary considerably.
Check the instructions or help screens for a particular index before you
start searching. They will help you to use the index effectively and efficiently.
CD-ROM indexes are
available at the Circulation Desk; instructions for the ELN databases can
be found in this workbook (link from the descriptions of each ELN database
listed on the Which
Index Should I Use? page) or in the Library Services Booklet
(available at the Reference Desk).
-
Indexes accessible through the library are NOT produced by the library.
The library subscribes to these indexes. Items retrieved in an index search
WILL NOT NECESSARILY BE IN THE UNBC LIBRARY COLLECTION. Sometimes they
have to be ordered through interlibrary loan.
2. Check bibliographies
Someone may have already put together a bibliography (a list of resources)
about your topic. Bibliographies can occur in the form of a book, or they
can be found at the end of an article, a book, or a book chapter. Encyclopedias
often include excellent bibliographies at the end of each article.
Remember that a bibliography
may be very limited in its scope and that it is only current to the date
of publication. If currency is important to your topic, you will want to
limit your search to recently published bibliographies and check journal
indexes for recent information.
To find book-length bibliographies
about your topic, search the Library catalog by KEYWORD using words to
describe your topic. Then, check the subject field to determine the appropriate
subject heading for that topic. Once you have determined the appropriate
subject heading, you can search by SUBJECT/KEYWORD using words from the
subject heading together with the word "bibliography."
3. Ask an expert
An expert in the field would be aware of important articles and authors.