Subject and Class Guides: Research Process : Find Articles

OneSearch

Use OneSearch to search across almost all of the library's databases at once for newspaper, magazine, and scholarly journal articles, as well as books and DVDs.

Choosing a Database

Article databases provide you with online access to magazine, journal and newspaper articles via your library. To help you find a specific database or identify the most appropriate databases for your topic/subject:

Databases A-Z
Subject & Class Guides
Find the best resources for a particular subject, course, or program. We've chosen the most appropriate databases, useful books and websites and included helpful citation guides.

Depending on the database you are using, you may be able to all or only parts of an article:

Index: Includes only the article’s citation information (e.g. author, title, date, volume, etc.). Neither a summary, nor the full-text of the article are available.
Abstract: Includes the article’s citation information and a brief summary of the article's content. Abstracts do not include the full-text article.
Full-text: Includes an electronic copy of the actual article. Depending on the database, the article may be available in HTML format, .pdf format (displays the article as it originally appeared in the magazine with graphics and pictures), or both.

Types of Information Sources

Information is available in a variety of formats, each with a distinct purpose and meeting a specific need. Think about what kind of information you need before you begin searching, and focus your research on locating the type of source that meets your needs.

Type of Source	Example	Characteristics and Purpose
Journals		Scholarly, original research, sources cited Approved by editorial board or other experts (peer-reviewed) before publication Latest discoveries and most current research, often very specific topics Published monthly, quarterly Subscriptions are expensive, libraries pay for access, mostly through databases Some available freely online, through open access Useful for credible, up-to-date, detailed information
Magazines		Topics of popular interest, for general readers Written by journalists, sometimes scholars Approved by magazine editors Up-to-date information about current events and topics Published weekly, monthly Libraries pay for access, some in print and many in databases Some content available freely online Useful for up-to-date, general information for non-specialists
Newspapers		Articles covering current events, as well as editorials, opinions of experts and general population Written by journalists Approved by newspaper editor Published daily, weekly Libraries pay for access, some in print, many in databases Some content available freely online Useful for current events coverage on local, national, international levels
Books		Thorough, in-depth coverage of a topic Written by variety of people, including researchers, journalists, professionals in field Most books undergo professional editing, self-published may not Available in print and electronic, libraries carefully select collections Useful for broad coverage a topic, to put topic in context or understand bigger picture than articles
Websites		Information covering a variety of topics to varying degrees of specificity Written by anyone, from novices to experts - anyone can post anything! Available to anyone with internet access Requires very careful evaluation Useful for government information, statistics, current information, and expert and popular opinions - but must be evaluated!