Unit 5 Review

 

Periodicals include:  magazines, newspapers and journals.  New issues are published periodically throughout the year.

 

To find periodical articles on your topic, it is usually best to use an online periodical database:  www.nvcc.edu/library/databases.htm .  Periodical databases contain articles and citations from thousands of magazines, journals and newspapers.  These databases are not available for free online except to authorized users.  Therefore, when you are off campus, you must log in to these databases with your NovaConnect username and password to prove that you are an authorized user.

 

Search Strategies

-          Pick an appropriate database for your topic:

-           The databases listed near the top of the library’s Articles page, including OneFile and ProQuest, will be useful for nearly all topics. 

-          Several databases focus on specific subjects, such as Business, Health, Science, and Psychology.  Look for links to these databases further down the page.

 

-          Once you’ve selected a database, type in only the most important words related to your topic. 

 

-          Put the word AND between your search terms.

 

-          Use an asterisk (*) at the ends of certain words to find all words starting with those letters:  teen* AND environment*

 

 

Refining Your Search

 

Too many results?  Focus the topic more, either by adding more search terms or using some of the databases’ “Limiting” or Advanced Search options.

 

Not enough results?  Broaden the topic, or try related terms.

 

If you find an article or two that DO look good, look at the subject headings that have been assigned to that article – try a search using some appropriate subject headings as search terms.

 

 

How to Find an Article When You Only Have a Citation

 

If the complete text of the article you want is not available in the database you’re using:

-          If you see a link that says “LincIt,” click on that link to see if you are directed to the complete text of the article in another database, or

-          Near the top of the library’s Articles web page, search the LIST of all magazines, journals and newspapers we subscribe to for the title of the periodical (e.g., Newsweek, New York Times) you need.

 

Periodical Article Evaluation 

Look at:

Content (is your topic covered?)

Authority (what are the author’s credentials?)

Purpose (any biases?)

Date (is the article current?  Does it need to be?)

Level of difficulty (vocabulary too basic or too advanced?)

 

 

Periodical Article Citations

 

Examples:

 

Magazine Article from a Library Database

 

MLA style

Donnelly, Sally B. "More Guns in the Air." Time 14 Feb. 2005: 13.  Proquest. Web. 8 July 2009.

 

APA style

Donnelly, S. B. (2005, February 14). More guns in the air.  Time, 165, 13. Retrieved July 8, 2009, from Proquest database.

 

 

Magazine Article (print/hardcopy)

 

MLA style

Donnelly, Sally B. "More Guns in the Air." Time 14 Feb. 2005: 13. Print.

 

APA style

Donnelly, S. B. (2005, February 14). More guns in the air.  Time, 165, 13.

 

 

Journal Article from a Library Database

 

MLA style

Menesini, Ersilia, Elena Melan, and Barbara Pignatti.  “Interactional Styles of Bullies and Victims Observed in a Competitive and a Cooperative Setting.”  Journal of Genetic Psychology 161.3 (2000): 261+.  Academic Search Complete.  Web.  8 July 2009.

 

 

APA style

Menesini, E., Melan, E., & Pignatti, B.  (2000).  Interactional styles of bullies and victims observed in a competitive and cooperative setting.  Journal of Genetic Psychology, 161(3), 261-.  Retrieved July 8, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

 

 

Newspaper Article from a Library Database

 

MLA style

Will, George F. “’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Hypocrisy.”  Editorial.  Washington Post 11 Dec. 2005, Final edition.: B07. Proquest. Web. 8 July 2009.

 

APA style

Will, G. F. (2005, December 11). ’Don’t ask, don’t tell’ hypocrisy [Editorial]. Washington Post, p. B7. Retrieved July 8, 2009, from Proquest database.

 

 

Note that the citations provided in periodical databases are not always correct.  They can be a good starting point, but be sure to doublecheck the details in a style manual or on a style website.:

 

1.      Style manual

-          For MLA:  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (call number LB2369 .G53 2009); in the INDEX, look up “Magazine Articles” or “Newspaper Articles” or “Journal Articles”, then look for the “in works cited” section.

-          For APA:  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (call number BF76.7 .P83 2001); in the TABLE OF CONTENTS, check the “Reference List” chapter for the Periodicals section and the Electronic Media section.

2.      Online citation sites: http://www.nvcc.edu/library/bow_citingref.htm