Periodicals (Indexes & Databases) LRC@TCC

Periodicals are great for up-to-date information on popular topics.

• What are they? 
• Why are they important? 
• Scholarly vs. Popular 
• Periodical indexes 
• Which index to use? 
• How to read citations 
• Locating periodicals 

What Are Periodicals?

Periodicals are publications that are issued on a regular basis, e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Common types of periodicals include newspapers, magazines, and journals. 

Why Are They Important? 

Because periodicals are issued frequently, the information they contain is usually more current  than that provided by books. Especially in scientific disciplines, where access to current information is very important, periodicals are the most important medium for the publication of new research and new ideas.  Periodical articles tend to focus on a particular aspect of a subject, rather than trying to cover a topic broadly as a book might do. Periodical articles often provide concise, in depth information on a narrow topic. 

Scholarly Versus Popular Periodicals 

Your instructor may require that you refer only to scholarly or academic journals in the course of your research. 

• Scholarly journals have few pictures, may contain charts and graphs, and are generally serious in nature. Journals are often published by a group or association and cover a specific topic.
• Magazines usually have many pictures, contain articles on many different topics, and have a glossy nature.
• If you are unsure whether a particular periodical is scholarly, you should speak to your instructor, who will be able to tell you if it is an acceptable source.
• For more information view Minute Modules from the University of Pennsylvania.

Periodical Indexes 
Periodical indexes tell you where articles are published. These indexes allow you to search for articles that have been published in a selected group of periodicals, often grouped together by subject or author. Electronic versions of indexes are often referred to as periodical databases (or simply databases), Some databases contain the entire content of the article and are called full text databases. Many indexes/databases do not contain the articles themselves, but provide all the information necessary to locate the article.  This identifying information is called a citation. Some databases provide citations and abstracts which are summaries of articles. 
 
NOTE: You cannot search for periodical articles in the library catalog. The catalog will tell you if the library subscribes to a particular periodical, but it will not tell you the contents of individual issues. 

Which index to use?

Your first step in searching for periodical articles is to determine which index(es) to search. There are hundreds of thousands of periodicals published worldwide and no single source indexes more than a small fraction of them. When selecting an index, criteria to consider include the subject of your research, the geographical focus, if any, of your topic, and the type of information (scholarly or popular) you require.  General indexes and databases include a broad collection of journal titles.  Subject indexes and databases include periodicals that cover narrower topics such as business or medicine.  You will probably need to search more than one index to find information. 

How to Read Periodical Citations

A citation is a reference to an article (or other information source) that includes enough identifying information for the reader to be able to locate a copy of the item. In order to locate the article (or book) you want, you must be able to read the citation. 

    Typically, citations for periodicals include the following information: 

        Author of the article 
        Title of the article 
        Title of the periodical 
        Volume (and issue number) of the periodical 
        Date of publication 
        Page numbers 

Different indexes display citations in slightly different ways. The following examples illustrate two possibilities: 

Locating periodical articles

Once you have identified the article(s) you need, your next step is to locate the article(s). It is important to remember that no library subscribes to every periodical that is indexed. In the case of some indexes, libraries subscribe to only a small fraction of the periodicals indexed. If a particular periodical is not available in your library, it may be available from another library. 

Here are the steps you should take when trying to locate an article: 

• Databases Online - Begin with our general and reference databases then use others for your subject. Those with titles in bold contain a substantial number of full text articles.
• Online- Identify any full text database which includes the periodical you need.  TCC patrons can do a publication name search to see where periodicals are available.
• In print- Search the library catalog to see if the library subscribes to the print version of the periodical you need. To search for periodicals in the catalog, search for the title of the periodical, NOT the title of the article.  If the periodical is available at the library you are in, go the the periodicals area and ask for assistance in locating the periodical. 
• Another campus- If the periodical is at another campus, you could request that the issue be sent to you by completing an Intercampus Loan request form and submitting it at the Circulation Desk. Requests for materials from other campus libraries normally arrive in two to three days.
• Any other library-If the periodical is not available at your college it may be available to be borrowed from another library by Interlibrary Loan. Interlibrary loan requests normally take ten days to two weeks to arrive.  For more information, please speak to a librarian or reference assistant. 

Reprinted & adapted with permission from Ross Tyner's Electronic Information Literacy.