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Locating Articles in Periodicals What are periodicals? Periodicals are continuous publications such as journals, newspapers, or magazines (you may hear the terms periodicals, serials, journals and magazines used interchangeably). They are issued regularly (daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly). Current periodicals contain the latest information on a subject; older periodicals often contain valuable background material. Search the online catalog for periodicals held by Finch Library. To find a periodical article, you have to consult a periodical index or database. What is a citation? A citation is information which fully identifies a publication. A complete citation includes author, title, name of periodical (if the citation is to an article) or publisher (if the citation is to a book) and date. Often pages, volume, and other information is included in a citation. Finding periodicals When you don't have a citation to a specific article, but you do want to find articles on a subject, you need to use periodical indexes or databases.

Finch Library subscribes to both print indexes and computerized databases to periodical literature. These sources will provide you with a citation to the name of the periodical in which the article appears, and some databases will also provide you with the full text of the article.

How do you know which index or database to use?

First determine what kind of periodicals you want. Do you want:

• scholarly journals?

• newspapers and substantive news sources?

• popular magazines?

• all three kinds?

If you're not sure about the differences in these kinds of periodicals, see the page on Scholarly Journals.

If you want articles from scholarly or research journals, ask a reference librarian to recommend a subject-specific index for your topic.

If you want newspaper articles, use a newspaper index such as New York Times Index or the Wall Street Journal Index. These are available through ProQuest.

If you want popular magazines, use a general database such as MasterFile Premier.

If you're still not sure which index or database to use, ask a reference librarian.

Online Databases

NC LIVE-- this service provides access to many different databases which will give you citations to articles.

FirstSearch -- this is an online service that provides access to many databases in a variety of subject areas.

See the Article Databases page for links to specific databases.

Print Indexes

These are located on tables near the Reference section, shelved alphabetically by title, and most are searchable by author and subject only. Different indexes cover different subject areas, so choose the one most appropriate to your topic. When using these indexes, be sure to write down the entire citation, including date and volume and issue of periodical, and page numbers of article. Check the online catalog to find out if Finch Library has the periodical you need.

Finding Periodical Locations and Requesting Articles

Once you have a citation, look up the title of the periodical, not the title of the article, in the online catalog. If the library has the item, check the location and holdings information carefully. For example, if you need the May 1981 issue of People Weekly, and the library's holdings are 1982-, we do not have the issue that you need.

The most current issues are shelved in the Current section.

Bound periodicals can be found on the second floor of the library, arranged alphabetically by title of the journal.

Microfiche can be found in cabinets near the microform machines near the back of the library. Microfilm is shelved in the Bound section alphabetically.

If we do not own the item, you may fill out an interlibrary loan request form to obtain it. Articles will be held at the Circulation Desk for you, however delivery may take anywhere from two days to two weeks.