Tips for Finding Articles in the MSU Libraries |
Table of Contents:
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What is a periodical?
What is a periodical? Anything that is published at regular intervals throughout the year such as a magazine, journal, or newspaper:
What is
a "popular" article vs. a "scholarly"
article? How do
I look for periodical articles on my research topic? What is
a periodical index? There
are so many periodical indexes, how do I know which one to use? Try these
Getting
Started pages. They highlight some of the most
useful indexes to use, according to area of study. There are a
few suggested general indexes listed below that are good to use
when first starting your research.
Finding the Full Text of Articles After Searching an Index Many indexes you search will provide the full text of articles; however, many others will not. For those that do not, there are several steps to take in finding the full text of articles (either in print format or online) after you have searched an index. The steps are detailed below:
Step 1: Finding Articles in Full-Text Indexes
When searching an index for articles (such as ProQuest or WilsonSelectPlus), take a look at your results screen or a more detailed record of the item you want to retrieve. Is there a link to the full text of the article somewhere in the results screen or a detailed records screen? The link may say Jump to Full Text, View Full Text, Text with Graphics, or Page Image – PDF. If one of those links appears, click on it and you will retrieve the full text of the article. If there is no link to the full text, go to Step 2. Step 2: Finding Articles through Find Text@MSU Look for a Find Text@MSU (what’s this?) link within the record of the article. If there is one, click on it and a new window will open with a series of options for finding the full text. Options will vary but may include:
If there is no Find Text@MSU link, go to Step 3. Step 3: Finding Articles When There’s No Full-Text Available I searched
an index but the articles were not all available there in electronic
full text.
I have my citations, so where are the articles? To find articles
that are not displayed in full text from within the index
that you searched, you will need to do a "Title" search
for that periodical in
the library catalog. The results will begin to tell
you whether or not the library subscribes to the journal and has
the issue that you need, in a print or digital format. You do
this by searching the name or title of the journal, not
the title of the article.
I
found the journal listed in the library catalog, so how do I know if you have
the issue that I need?
Look at
the catalog record. You will see a section labelled "LIBRARY HAS"
showing the range of volumes/issues and years available in the
MSU Libraries. You will also see the call number and a location
(such as the "Main Library" stacks or a branch library).
If we have access to an online version, there may be a hot link.
Where
can I find print journals, magazines, and newspapers?
Current
issues of many magazines, journals and newspapers are arranged
alphabetically by title in the Periodical
Room on 2-West in the Main Library. Some may be
found in the branch
libraries. Earlier issues of journals and
magazines typically are bound and shelved in the stacks (with
books on the same subjects) by call number.
I
didn't find the name of the journal I need in the catalog, so where
else can I look?
Check the
MSU Libraries' Electronic
Journals page. Type the title of the journal into
the search box. If you find a listing for the journal, click on
"connect" to reach an online version of that journal (in some
cases, the online version may be limited to the table of contents,
especially for early years).
What
if I still don't see the name of my journal?
If the MSU
Libraries do not have electronic or print access to the journal
you need, you can ask the library to request a copy of an article
from another library, free of charge. To make requests from another
library, please see Get Materials from Another Library. Note: you will need the
whole citation (author, article title, journal title, volume,
date, pages) to complete the necessary request forms.
Don't
forget to cite!
See online examples of how to cite your sources using using various citation styles such as APA,
MLA, and Chicago/Turabian. You will also find helpful links to
additional online citation generators and citation management software.
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