Finding Articles

So far, this course has covered how to find and use regular books and reference books. We're moving on now to a discussion of periodical articles. 

blue ball.gif (104 bytes)  What is the difference in the information you receive in books versus periodicals?

Think about this. When you look at a book, you are looking at 200 to 300 pages of text.   If it's an academic book, that text represents substantial research on the part of the author probably with a bibliography at the very end. Such a book covers a topic with depth -- it discusses the finer and more detailed aspects of the topic -- and breadth -- it covers the span of the topic, whether it be a certain time period, event, or person.

On the other hand, periodical articles, especially journal articles, tend to provide a more in depth coverage with short doses of information in great detail.  If reading a book is like scanning a horizon through a telescope, then reading a journal article is like using a magnifying glass to investigate the tree trunk right next to you.

blue ball.gif (104 bytes)   What is the difference between Journal articles and Magazine articles?

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The term "periodicals" refers to both journal and magazine articles.  There is a clear difference, however, between the two.

Can you tell by simply looking at the cover of these two periodicals?

Journal articles are scholarly and academic. Many are written by professional scholars in a particular field and can use a highly specialized language. The content of journal articles is usually substantiated with a bibliography.  Most journal articles list the authors' name and sometimes their academic credentials and institutional background, as well.  Journals tend to be very text oriented, without a lot of pictures or advertisements. Journal articles are what you use for college level research!

Magazine articles tend to be more accessible, general, and appealing to the public-at-large.  Many magazine articles will not list authors.  Most magazine articles will not include bibliographies.  Magazines have pictures and advertisements.   Generally, you do not want to use magazine articles for college level research.

Finding Articles Using Ebsco

Ebsco is one of the main electronic databases you will use to access  periodicals.  You'll depend on it for two reasons: it's easy to use, and it provides full text access (i.e., you get the whole text of articles) for a number of articles.  You can also print out the whole article from your workstation.

First, a little bit of background information on Ebsco:
Ebsco is the name of an interface that allows you to locate mainly journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.  Ebsco consists of several databases.  Here are examples of some that are most pertinent for college research:  

Academic Search Premier
This database is designed mainly for academic institutions that need access to more "scholarly" information.  It covers a variety of subjects, including business, social sciences, humanities, science and education.  Most probably this is the main database you'll be using for your college papers.

Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection
This database covers topics such as emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods.

Religion & Philosophy Collection
This databse provides extensive coverage of such topics as world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy and the history of philosophy.

Business Source Premier
Covers business, management, economics, banking, finance, accounting and other business topics.

Health Source Consumer Edition or Health Source Nursing
These two database cover nutrition, exercise, medical self-care, drugs and alcohol and other health care topics.  Health Source Nursing emphasizes scholarly/professional publications.

Military & Government Collection
Designed to offer current news pertaining to all branches of the military and government, this database offers a thorough collection of periodicals, academic journals, and other content pertinent to the increasing needs of those sites.

Legal Collection
This is an authoritative source for information on current issues, studies, thoughts and trends of the legal world.

Ebsco also offers many more other databases including some that are more appropriate for school age kids or for those looking for "popular" type of publications. To see the complete list of Ebsco databases:

So, whether you are working on a college project, helping your kids with homework, or  looking for a magazine article on a topic of interest, Ebsco provides you a wonderful tool to use to search for articles.  Next, let's look more closely at some of the features available through these Ebsco databases!