How to Find ARTICLES

Why use articles? Provide up-to-date information Deal with current topics → the latest research, theories, interpretations, news Most have a specific focus May reflect a particular viewpoint

The Library has thousands of journals, magazines, newspapers and similar publications. Most of these are available electronically through databases that the Library subscribes to.

Journals, magazines and newspapers in paper or microform formats are kept in the Periodicals Collection at the back of the Library.

What’s the difference between a journal and a magazine?

Magazine Articles General-interest Written by reporters, feature editors Meant to entertain Wide audience Usually < 5 pages No abstracts or references Glossy, with pictures Advertisements

Journal Articles Scholarly Written by subject experts Report on original research Specific audience Usually > 5 pages Include abstracts References Usually no pictures No advertisements

Journals vs. Magazines In college and university you are often expected to use “scholarly” sources of information. Scholarly articles are found in journals. Tip: Scholarly journals are sometimes called “academic” journals.

What does “peer-reviewed” mean?

Peer-reviewed articles… have been critically evaluated by subject experts. must meet high academic standards before being accepted for publication in scholarly journals.

When you use peer-reviewed articles, you know you have the most reliable scholarly information published! Tip: Some journals use the term “refereed” instead of “peer-reviewed”.

OK, how do I FIND articles in the Library?

To find articles in any format, you start by searching electronically.

You can search for articles on any topic. Databases allow you to search several publications at once... ...so your searching is faster and more efficient than browsing one publication at a time!

Some Library databases include articles on a variety of topics… Examples: Academic Search Premier Vocational Studies Complete CBCA Reference CPI.Q. Canadian Periodicals Canadian Newstand

Subject-specific databases provide more in-depth coverage of topics… Examples: Historical Abstracts Environment Complete Proquest Nursing CBCA Business Anatomy.tv PsychInfo Tip: It’s usually a good idea to search more than one database when looking for articles!

To search for articles on your topic... Go to www.eclibrary.ca and click on E-Resources

Select a subject related to your topic, or choose “General”

Read the database descriptions to help you select one suitable for your topic.

Designing Your Search

First of all, identify the main concepts of your topic “The effect of video games on adolescent behaviour” Video games Behaviour Adolescents

Video games, adolescents and behaviour are called “keywords”. Keywords are single words or short phrases that represent concrete ideas. Keywords are what you use to search for articles.

Next, think of other ways to express these topic keywords, including... ... synonyms ... related words ... other forms of your keywords, such as alternate spellings, plural vs. singular, etc. Ways to find keywords: Brainstorming Dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias Textbooks Books & articles

Make a list of your keywords Topic Keywords Alternate Keywords Video games Electronic games, computer games Adolescents Teen, teenage, teenagers, adolescents, adolescence, youth(s) Narrower terms - girls, boys Broader term - children Behaviour Behavior Narrower terms - violence, aggressiveness, aggression, fighting, bullying

Searching Academic Search Premier Tip: When using more than one keyword or phrase, join them with “and”.

Look at your results... Too many articles? Not enough articles? You need to narrow your search to make it more specific to your topic. Not enough articles? Your topic might be too specific. Try to broaden your search. Results not relevant to your topic? Try a new search using different terms or a different database.

Narrowing Your Search Try one or more of the following: Use a more specific search term. Add another search term. Click on a subject heading. Select a publication type, such as academic (scholarly) journals.

Here we’ve used the more specific term “teenage boys”, instead of “teenagers”, to narrow our search.

Adding another search term… …gives fewer, more relevant results

Clicking on a subject heading focuses our search...

You can also limit your search to Academic Journals Tip: Some databases use the terms “scholarly” or “peer-reviewed” instead.

Broadening Your Search Try one or more of the following: Combine variations of your search terms with “OR”. Expand the scope of your search by: a. Using broader search terms, or b. Reducing the number of terms in your search. Search a different database.

This search using “OR” will find articles using the word “teenagers” as well as articles using the word “adolescents”

Expanding the scope of our search from “teenagers” to “children” will retrieve more articles.

Here we’ve broadened our search and retrieved more results by taking out a search term.

Results not relevant to your topic? Try using one or more of the following: Synonyms, different spellings, or other words related to your search terms. A different database. The “Help” or “Tips” in the database.

Here we’ve used a related term, “aggression”, instead of “violence” to retrieve more relevant results.

If you’ve been searching a general database you may find more relevant articles in a subject-specific database appropriate for your topic.

Find other search strategies by clicking on “Help”

Once you have a manageable number of relevant articles, take a closer look at your results.

Tip: The abstract is a summary of the article. To find out more about an article, hold your cursor over the article preview icon Tip: The abstract is a summary of the article.

In most databases, you can access the abstract from the results list by clicking on the article title, or on one of the following links: “Abstract” “View record” “Bibliographic page”

look for a “full text” link To get the full article, look for a “full text” link

If there is no full text link, click on

If the article is available in another database, will link you to it. Click on to get the article GO will also tell you if the article is available in print in the Library

If you click on and see the message it means the full article is not available in any format in the Library. You can request it through Interlibrary Loans. To find out how to do this, go to www.eclibrary.ca and click on Interlibrary Loans.

Remember to keep records of all the articles you use for information… This will help if you want to find them again later! You will also need this information when you prepare your bibliography. Tip: Remember to note the dates you retrieve articles from electronic databases – this is usually required in your references!

Most databases allow you to: Print articles Save articles to your computer or a USB key Email articles to yourself or someone else Export articles to RefWorks Tip: Don’t save your work to the Library computers. You will lose your work if the computer shuts down.

Looking for a certain journal, magazine or newspaper? Click on Journals by Title Enter the name of the publication in the search box

Journals by Title will tell you... if the Library has the publication what format it is in the volumes & dates available

Click on here to access the publication online GO Click on here to check the print holdings in the Catalogue GO

Another way to find articles If you’ve found a good article… …Look at the references to see what sources the author cited. You’ll find more articles related to your topic! Tip: Use Journals by Title to find an article when you have a citation and don’t know what database it is in.

Want to access E-Resources from off-campus? Nipissing: Username = WebAdvisor ID Password = WebAdvisor password Canadore: Username = student number Password = birthdate (mmddyy)

Evaluating your articles... ...is an essential step in your research! Look at your search results critically to decide if the articles are suitable for your topic.

For each article, decide... Is the author qualified to write on the topic? Is the information current? Is it accurate? Is the article unbiased? Is it relevant to your topic? Does it provide enough information?

Need help finding articles? Please come to the Library Information Desk We’re happy to help! 474-3450 ext. 4221 info@eclibrary.ca

Bibliography  Trent University. (Sept. 12, 2007). Keyword Search Techniques. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2008 from http://www.trentu.ca/admin/library/help/skills/keyword.shtml University of Minnesota Libraries. (2000). Choosing Good Keywords to Search for Articles. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2008 from http://tutorial.lib.umn.edu/infomachine2b4a.html Dalhousie University Libraries. (Jan. 5, 2005). Developing a Search Strategy Worksheet. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2008 from http://tinyurl.com/54te8r Dalhousie University Libraries. Problem solving strategies for database searching. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2008 from http://tinyurl.com/58yteu