Locating Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Articles
Databases are useful when searching for journal, magazine, and newspaper articles. The latest research findings, current events, literature reviews, and scholarly debates are often published in the form of journal articles. Furthermore, articles in databases are likely to contain more reliable and more thoroughly researched information than material on the Web. This tutorial is designed to provide a brief introduction to searching for articles via Stark County District Library's databases. You have free access to most of the library’s databases from home by simply entering your library card number. Please contact the library by calling (330) 458-2754, by email at askareference@starklibrary.org, or visit us in-person and a librarian will gladly assist you if problems arise while using the databases.
Steps to a successful article search:
- Develop a search strategy by identifying the key words, subjects, or ideas contained in your topic. Next select the database(s) most relevant to your topic at Stark County District Library’s Databases A-Z list, which includes a brief description of the databases available to patrons, or Databases by Subject. (If you are not familiar with searching the database that you have selected, use the database’s online help screen to learn how to conduct your search. The help screens generally include instructions on how to conduct different types of searches within the databases.)
- Enter the term(s) from your search strategy into the search box including alternative words or phrases that mean the same thing and alternative spellings.
- Check the results of your search and identify any relevant articles. If your search does not produce desired articles, note the subject headings (also called descriptors), words or phrases that have been used to describe the item(s), and repeat your search using these keywords. Also, try using more general terms to broaden your search or try a different database. You may need to repeat these steps a number of times.
- Most databases include the full text (a copy) of article(s). When you find an article that you want, you can follow a link directly to its full text then read, print, or e-mail the article. If the full text of the article you are interested in is not available in a database, a citation is usually given stating the article’s name and the title, issue, and page number(s) of the journal in which the article appeared. This information can be used to locate the article either at Stark County District Library or another library. To determine if the library has a copy of the original article either in print or on microfilm, call the Periodicals Desk at (330) 458-2751. If Stark County District Library does not have a copy of the article, the Interlibrary Loan Department may be able to obtain a copy of it from another library. In some instances, a nearby library has a copy of the article, and you may want to visit that library yourself to make a photocopy.
The following book provides in-depth information about searching databases for articles:
Librarian's Guide to Online Searching by Suzanne S. Bell