Locating Periodical/Journal Articles in Hilton M. Briggs Library

Feeling overwhelmed by the library and wondering how you're going to find articles?  This guide will take you through the process of locating a magazine or journal article in Briggs Library, but first, let's talk about language...

Serial and periodical.......terms you see frequently around the library, and are left wondering exactly what each one means.  A serial, or periodical, refers to any item published on a regular basis, periodically, serially, repeatedly.  Magazines, journals, newspapers, and proceedings, are all published on a regular basis, over and over again.  Some are published daily, weekly, monthly, every few months, or even every few years.  So, magazines, journals, newspapers, and proceedings are all periodicals/serials!

Still a bit bewildered?  Check out our Information Literacy and Research Guide or ask a librarian for more information.

Got it?  Great!  Keep reading for the steps on how to actually locate an article for your research...

A periodical/journal index is a list of articles that can be searched by subject, title, or author. These indexes can be found in print or electronic format. Some journal indexes cover a broad range of subjects. Other indexes cover specific subject areas. A variety of journal databases, including many which include the full text of articles, can be found by accessing the research databases page online.

If you are unsure which database or index would be best for your subject ask a librarian for assistance.

To locate the article in the library, you must have the complete citation from the journal index. A complete citation includes the title of the journal, date of publication, volume and issue numbers, page numbers, author and title of the article. You will also need the complete citation in order to request an item through interlibrary loan (if the item is not available at Briggs Library), and to list the article in your bibliography.

Need help with citations or a bibliography?  Ask a librarian!

Many periodical/journal indexes do not indicate whether the library owns the journal. When you have the complete citation of a journal article from an index or database, check the library's Magazine and Journal List page to determine whether the library holds specific journal titles in either paper or electronic formats.  Ask a librarian for assistance in determining if the journal is owned by the library.

FULL-TEXT JOURNAL DATABASES: Some electronic journal indexes also provide the full text of some or all of the articles in the database. EBSCO is one example of a full-text database. Using these databases will save you time and effort, since you may not have to do step 4.

If the journal is not owned by the library, or not available in a full-text database, you may obtain the article using the SDSU interlibrary loan service (ILL). Online interlibrary loan request forms are available from the library's Interlibrary Loan Services page or you may call 605-688-5570 and request forms via mail or fax.

Current issues of periodical/journal titles are located on the main level, and are arranged on the shelves according to the Dewey Decimal classification system. Back issues are on the lower level and are often bound and shelved in the stacks by call number. Some periodicals, especially newspapers, are found in microform (microfiche or microfilm). Current periodicals cannot be checked out, so you will need to read the article in the library or make a photocopy.

Still have questions?  No problem - ask a librarian!