Finding Periodical Articles

Why use periodical articles?

Periodicals play a unique role in the distribution of information and library research. Any subject found in books can also be found in periodicals. Periodicals publish the most recent concepts, opinions and research before appearance in books is possible. Some materials never appear in book form. Some topics are so transitory or so specialized that only small groups have an extensive interest in them.

Many subjects must be supplemented by periodical literature or newspapers to bring facts up to date or provide a variety of opinions and discussions. Earlier years of newspapers and periodicals provide source materials on opinions and views of the time.

Formats vary from glossy general interest magazines to formal scholarly journals, to brief infrequent newsletters for small groups with some specialization or other factor in common (political belief or religion, for example).
 

How do I go about finding articles in periodicals?

There are several ways to find the information contained in periodicals:

• by browsing through individual issues or volumes in the Serials Department of the Library
• by finding a specific citation which identifies a particular article and provides all the necessary information for finding it quickly. Specific citations may be obtained from several sources including: bibliographies, class reading lists, general and specific indexes (print or electronic versions), or abstracts (print or electronic versions)
• by searching a full-text database such as  SIRS, Lexis-Nexis, or the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center.

How are indexes and abstracts used to locate articles in periodicals?

The major method of finding information in periodical literature is still through indexes and abstracts, regardless of medium. Often more than one index must be consulted to thoroughly research a subject.  For example, for research on the topic of unemployment, you could consult an index such as Business Periodicals Index or ABI/INFORM Global from the business perspective, while also searching Social Sciences Index to get an idea of the social or economic impact of unemployment.

Many of the Library’s current indexes and abstracts are located in the Reference Room. Some indexes and abstracts are searched on CD-ROM or online through the OhioLINK Research Databases on the World Wide Web. Consult a librarian for assistance in selecting those indexes most suited to a particular topic or for help in using the indexes and abstracts. See Indexes and Abstracts Available Through Maag Library for the location of those most commonly used. Eventually, citations in many of the electronic databases will be linked to available full-text articles from the OhioLINK electronic Journal Center.

Any index or abstracting service lists citations by topic. Each citation usually consists of :

• author of the article
• title of the article
• title of the periodical in which the article is found
• volume and/or issue number of the periodical
• page(s) in the periodical issue on which the article can be found
• date of the issue

 

Sample Citation from Reader’s Guide

PERIODICALS HOLDINGS LIST INFORMATION:
 

PER.TK 9145.A84 MICROFILM X545 BULLETIN OF THE ATOMIC SCIENTISTS V10 (1954) TO DATE MICROFILM: V1 (1945) - V9 (1953)

(Call No. for bound volumes) (Call No. for microforms) (Title of Periodical) (Bound and current holdings) (Microform holdings)

How do I find out which articles are in Maag Library?

Please note: periodicals and microforms may not be checked out. They must be used in the library. Copy services for periodicals and microforms are located on the Lower Level of the library.

If you are using the print version of an index or abstracting service (or an online database without links to holdings):

• After searching an index and finding the citation of a desired article, copy or print out the citation information: title of the article, author of the article, title (name) of the periodical, volume, page and date.

• When using print indexes, consult the list of abbreviations of periodicals indexed (usually found at the front or the back of a print index) in order to determine the complete title of the periodical (e.g., Bull At Sci is actually Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists). This is important because many periodicals have similar titles and abbreviations may be very brief. In order to find the Library’s holdings in MaagNet, you must have the exact title.

• Look up the title of the periodical in MaagNet (online catalog) to determine first if the Library owns that periodical, and second, if the Library has the year in which the particular article appears. The term “to date” means that all years from the first year listed to the most current issue published are owned by the Library. Write down (or print out) the Library of Congress call number (found in MaagNet) for each periodical you need to locate. If the volume you need is not on the shelf, ask at the Serials Desk (Lower Level) for help in finding it.

• After searching a particular topic and viewing  an article citation, click on Check availability.  This will bring up the OhioLINK Central Catalog reference for that particular periodical.  Check to see if Youngstown State is  included in the list of libraries.  If so, click on Youngstown State and you will see the call number, location, and holdings information for that periodical in Maag Library.  Write down or print out holdings information as well as your article citation.

Location of periodicals and microforms in Maag Library:
 

• Bound periodicals are arranged in the Serials Department (lower level) by Library of Congress call number and shelved on the Lower Level of the library.

• Generally, all volumes older than the current year are bound. However, this varies with the frequency of the periodical, publication delays, and time of year. Lost issues can also delay binding of an entire year. Periodicals being held for binding must be requested at the Serials Desk. If the issue required is at the bindery, the Serials Assistants can tell you when it will be returned.

• Recent issues of periodicals which have not been bound (usually the latest year) are shelved alphabetically by title or by publishing association name in the Current Periodicals Section (near the Serials Desk). Some current periodicals are kept behind the Serials Desk--their location in MaagNet is Serials Closed Reserve. You will need to ask for them at the Serials Desk and to present a photo ID. Eventually all current periodicals will be on Serials Closed Reserve.

• Some periodicals are received as microforms. You will need the microfilm or microfiche number to find these items in the Microforms Center, Lower Level. Reading and copying equipment in the Microforms Center is designed to make use of these items as convenient as possible.

• If the library does not own the periodical in print or microform, check for availability in electronic format. Maag will have increasing electronic accessibility to full-text electronic journals. Please consult a librarian for assistance in determining what  full-text databases are available. Presently, there are selected full-text articles in several databases:  InfoTrac Health Reference Center;  Periodical Abstracts  and ABI/INFORM Global  (OhioLINK Research Databases); and the  OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center (currently over 1000 journal subscriptions from Elsevier Press and Academic Press). Please note: most of these databases are restricted to students, faculty and staff of OhioLINK member institutions.

• If the library does not have the periodical among its holdings or available through electronic means, consult with your professor who may suggest other sources, Interlibrary Loan (count on at least two weeks), or a change of topic.

MaagNet provides information helpful in locating periodicals. Special designations such as Reference Department, Newspaper, or Serials Closed Reserve indicate that the title is treated differently from the majority of periodicals. Periodicals having locations noted as Serials Closed Reserve and On-site Storage must be requested at the Serials Desk and checked out for use within the Library. Some older periodicals are in storage at the NE Regional Depository in Rootstown, Ohio. Articles from these periodicals must be requested at the Serials Desk or Reference Desk. Retrieval of these items usually requires two to three working days.
 
 

Copy Services

Both the Comdoc Copy Center and self-service photocopying machines are located near the Serials Desk, Lower Level. Change for bills up to $10 is available from the Comdoc Copy Center during the hours it is open. Self-serve copies are 10 cents each (less with a Comdoc copy card) for 8½ x 11 or 8½ x 14 copies of bound and current periodicals. Machines have reduction and enlargement capabilities. Self-serve copies from microforms (in the Microforms Center) are 20 cents per page with a Comdoc copy card.