The Albert Sloman Library

Journal articles

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Finding journal articles

If you are researching a topic, whether it is for a weekly seminar, an essay or a longer term project such as a dissertation or thesis, you will probably want to find out what has already been written. There are various ways to do this, from doing a keyword search on the Library catalogue, to see what books the Library has, to an extensive literature search including all published material.

Even for short term projects you may want to see whether there are any journal articles on your topic. It is possible to search at journal title level in the catalogue, which is essential when you already have a particular article in mind which you want to look at. However, the catalogue does not contain details of all the articles within its journals, so if you want to search for articles on a particular topic you will need to use a different search resource.

The Library provides access to a wide range of these resources, both print and online, some of which are general in nature and some of which are subject specific. For a quick overview you may be able to search just one such resource, whereas for a comprehensive picture you will probably need to search several resources.

Abstracting and indexing resources/Full text resources

There are two main types of resource: abstracting and indexing resources and full text resources. You can use both types of resource to search for articles, but abstracting and indexing resources will only tell you where a particular article is published (sometimes called a citation or a reference), rather than providing access to the article itself. They may also provide a summary of the article which you can use to help you to decide whether it is worth reading the whole thing (this is usually called an abstract).

Using an abstracting and indexing resource is therefore a two stage process - you use the resource to find references to articles that you may be interested in reading, and then you go to a different resource, usually the Library catalogue, to find out whether you can get hold of the article itself through the Library. The ISI Citation Indexes from Web of Knowledge are an example of a widely used abstracting and indexing resource. When using Web of Knowledge, there is an option whereby you can check the Library catalogue for a particular journal by clicking the Go button next to Holdings.

Full text resources vary in terms of whether all or only some of the searchable articles are provided in full text through the resource. JSTOR is an example of a resource where all of the content which you can search can be accessed in full text (TIP: this is only the case if you search JSTOR from links on the Library website. When searching through an internet search engine, such as Google, you may come across references to articles in JSTOR which the Library does not provide access to.) Many resources provide access to some articles in full and some as citations only. Ingenta is an example of this kind of resource.

To find out which resources the Library provides access to which are relevant to your subject area, look at the databases section on the relevant Subject Guides page, or do a subject heading search in the catalogue. For example, searching for “history databases” will find a list of databases relevant to history. For more information on individual resources, see the Databases page, which contains details of coverage and access arrangements for electronic resources, as well as guidance on how to search. (To find print resources, browse the Reference Room on the First Floor at the relevant classmarks).

Reading articles in full

Where the full text of an article is not available through a particular resource, you can check the Library catalogue to see whether the Library provides access to the journal in print or online, using the Periodical title option. If the journal is not available, then it may be possible to get hold of the article from another library, by submitting an inter library loan request, or by visiting in person.