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NVCC
Libraries Research Guides | Alexandria
Research Guides |
HOW
TO FIND ARTICLES FROM PERIODICALS:
MAGAZINES, JOURNALS, AND NEWSPAPERS
STEP
1: START AT THE LIBRARY HOME PAGE (www.nvcc.edu/library).
If you plan to search for periodicals from home or another off-campus
location, you will be prompted to log in with your NovaConnect
username and password.
This
will take you to a page that lists several magazine and newspaper
indexes (online databases).
STEP
3: SELECT A DATABASE APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR TOPIC.
To
find articles on a wide range of general and current topics:
Use the databases that are listed under "General Databases."
To
find articles on more specialized subjects: The
"Subject-Specific Databases" section lists a number
of more specialized subject indexes, such as Health Source
in the "Health and Medicine" category, or Literature
Resource Center in the "Humanities-Literature"
category.
STEP 4: TYPE IN SEARCH TERMS
Type
only the most relevant terms in the search box. For example,
if your topic is "What are the causes of air pollution?" you
could type in air pollution and causes
Search
tips:
- Put
an AND between words that you want to appear
anywhere in the same article, but that don't necessarily
need to be next to each other: environment AND
pollution
- If
you don't get good results, try doing a search using other
words related to your topic, such as synonyms. If you get
too many results, try to be more specific. If you get no
results, or not enough results, try terms that are more
general. When you find an article that looks good, view
the article and look at the "Subject" list. The
terms in this list may give you ideas for other words to
use in your search.
STEP 5: READ THE ARTICLE.
Frequently
the complete text of the article will be available on the computer.
Look for the words "text" or "full text" or symbols indicating
full text or page image. You can read the article online, or
print it; often you can also send it to your email address.
Here
is an example of a citation to an article from Rolling
Stone with full text and image available online (from ProQuest).
STEP
6: IF THE COMPLETE TEXT OF THE ARTICLE IS NOT IN THE
DATABASE YOU'RE USING...
The
complete text of your article might be available in another
online database or another format, such as paper or microfilm.
To find out, you will need to check for the title of
that periodical in the List
of Magazines, Journals & Newspapers we own.
Still
can't find it? Ask a Reference Librarian for help.
Copyright
Northern Virginia Community College. Created by Anne Anderson.
Last updated June 2008. |
