Search Tips for Finding Magazine and Journal Articles

• To locate magazine or journal articles, connect to OhioLINK's Research Databases, online indexes which allow you to access articles by topic. Although many databases are available, the databases that are particularly helpful for first-year students are Periodical Abstracts, ABI/Inform, Matter of Fact, and Education Index.
• Finding periodical articles is trickier than finding books because unlike the online library catalog, which indicates what the library owns, research databases are comprehensive and do not automatically retrieve only those materials available in your library. In other words, finding a reference to an article in a database does not necessarily mean that you can find the article in your library. When you find an article you're interested in, check the holdings to see if the item is available in your library. Pay close attention to dates since your library may not own all issues of a periodical title or may have had an interruption in its subscription to a particular magazine or journal article.
• You can access selected full-text periodical articles in Periodical Abstracts, ABI/Inform, and Matter of Fact. Connect to Finding Full-text Articles for more information.
• Some instructors require you to use material from journals instead of magazines. Connect to Finding Scholarly Journals for more information.
• Ask a librarian if you have trouble finding what you need.

E-mail your comments and suggestions to the YSU Grant Team (cardcat@bgnet.bgsu.edu).