How Do I Find Articles?

How do I…
…find articles?

Why use articles?
Provide up-to-date information
Deal with current topics -> the latest research, theories, interpretations, news, products, trends
Most have a specific focus
May reflect different viewpoints

To find articles on any topic…
You search online,
through the Library website
www.eclibrary.ca

The Library subscribes to many
databases
which provide you access to
thousands of online magazines,
journals, newspapers & similar publications.

Databases allow you to search several publications at once...
...so your searching is faster and
more efficient than browsing
one publication at a time!

Many of the Library’s
articles are available
in their entirety
through these databases.

Some articles are available only in print or microform formats.
These 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 IFINDarticles
in the Library?

Go to www.eclibrary.caand
click onE-Resources

Select asubjectrelated to your topic, or choose “General”

General databases include articleson a variety of topics…
Examples:
Academic Search Premier
Vocational Studies Complete
CBCA Reference
CPI.Q. Canadian Periodicals
Canadian Newsstand

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

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

Designing Your Search…

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

Video games, adolescentsandbehaviourare 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 expressthese topic keywords, including...
... synonyms
... related words
... other forms of your keywords, such as alternate spellings, plural vs. singular, etc.

Make a list of your keywords

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

Look at your results...

Too many articles?
You need to narrow your search to give it a more specific focus.
Not enough articles?
Your search terms or 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 anothersearch term…
…gives fewer, more relevant results

Clicking on a Subject focuses our search...

You can also limit your search results to those from Academic Journals only
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”.
Widen 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”

Here we’ve widened the scope of our
search from “teenagers” to “children.

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.

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

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
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, magazineor 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-Resourcesfrom 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

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How Do I Find Articles?

by Charlotte Innerd on Aug 25, 2009

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