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How to get magazine, journal, and newspaper articles: Definitions

How to track down articles from, starting either with a topic or with a specific article citation

What's a periodical article?

What is a periodical?icons of journals, newspapers, magazines

A "periodical" article is

  • An article from a magazine, journal, or newspaper
  • Published periodically (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)--hence the name "periodical" 

Your instructor might ask you to find a specific kind of periodical article. You may need to ask for clarification.

What's a "full text" article?

You'll see this term a lot! When we write about access to "full text," we mean access to the complete article--not just the citation (author, article title, magazine name, publication date, etc) or an abstract (a brief summary of the contents).

Many magazine, newspaper and journal publishers are happy to provide a citation and an abstract free of charge, but they want to be paid in order for you to access the full text of their articles. That is why the library subscribes to individual magazines and journals or to databases that include the full text.

What's a magazine article?

example of a magazineA magazine article is:

  • An article from a popular  or "mass media" publisher
  • Written for the general public (not for individuals with special training or education)
  • Published in the kind of magazines you can buy at the grocery store or at a newsstand
  • Some examples of popular magazines are: Time, Newsweek, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated

Good databases for finding this kind of article:

What's a newspaper article?

example of a newspaperNewspaper articles

A newspaper article is:
  • An article from either a print or electronic newspaper
  • Most newspapers are published daily
  • Instructors usually prefer that you find signed articles (rather than anonymous articles from newswire services such as Reuters) 
Good databases for finding this kind of article

What's a journal article?

example of a scholarly journalA journal article is:

  • An article from an academic or scholarly journal
  • Written for an audience of individuals with specialized training or education
  • A place for scholars & researchers to share their new ideas
  • Some examples of academic journals are: Nature; Anthropological Quarterly; Journal of Abnormal Psychology

Good databases for finding this kind of article:

Related library guides:

What's a research or "original" research article?

Example of original research articlesWhat's an "original" research article?

  • A description and analysis of an experiment, observation, survey, etc., written by the scientists or researchers who did the actual work
  • NOT articles written by a third party (a journalist, for example) who is reporting about the research
  • Published in professional or scholarly journals
  • The terms "research article," "original research" article and "scientific research" article are more or less interchangeable

Good databases for finding this kind of article:

Related library guides:

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