Searching for Articles in the Periodicals A-Z Search
Searching for Articles from Magazines, Newspapers & Scholarly
Journals
Welcome! This guide will help you understand...
- the definition of a "periodical article"
- how to find articles on a topic
- how to know if TCC subscribes to a particular magazine, journal or newspaper
- what magazines or journals TCC owns that cover a particular discipline or area of interest
Definitions: Periodicals
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 is Full-Text?
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.
Within our main catalog and the library's databases, limiting to full-text results is as easy as clicking the "Full-Text" or "Available Online" filter. Doing so will change the results, showing you only the articles you can immediately access fully.
Understanding & Accessing Resource Types
Magazine Articles
Magazine ArticlesA magazine article is...
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An article from a popular or "mass media" publisher
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Written for the general public (not for individuals with special training or education)
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Published in the kind of magazines you can buy at the grocery store or at a newsstand
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Some examples of popular magazines are: Time, Newsweek, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated
Search for Magazine Articles
The databases linked below are useful for finding magazine articles on a wide variety of topics. Search by topic or keyword, then use the filters (usually on the left-side) to limit to just "Magazines articles"
- ProQuest Periodical Databases This link opens in a new window
Multiple periodical databases providing coverage of a wide range of topics, with a mix of popular and scholarly sources. Particularly good for current events. - Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
(Ebsco) Periodical database. This multi-disciplinary database covers most disciplines taught at TCC. Most articles are scholarly.
Newspaper Articles
Newspaper ArticlesA 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)
Searching for Newspaper Articles
Consider the databases linked below that are useful for finding newspaper articles. Be sure to use the "Newspapers" filter (usually on the left-side of the search) to limit to that resource type.
- Washington State Newsstand This link opens in a new window
(ProQuest) Includes the full text of most larger Washington State newspapers. - New York Times This link opens in a new window
Set up an account for full access to New York Times: https://nytimesineducation.com/access-nyt/ (Note: 52 weeks after you first set up your own NYTimes account, you will need to re-authenticate by going to the same URL.) [Historical coverage: full access to New York Times articles published between 1851 through 1922, and between 1981 through current day. Access to the years 1923-1980 is limited.] - Ethnic Newswatch This link opens in a new window
(ProQuest) News, culture and history from 200 plus publications from the ethnic, minority and Native press in English and Spanish. - ProQuest Periodical Databases This link opens in a new windowMultiple periodical databases providing coverage of a wide range of topics, with a mix of popular and scholarly sources. Particularly good for current events.
Journal Articles
Journal ArticlesA 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
Searching within Journals
Linked below are some databases where you can search, by keyword or topic, and limit to journal articles.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window(Ebsco) Periodical database. This multi-disciplinary database covers most disciplines taught at TCC. Most articles are scholarly.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full text of a range of academic journal articles and primary sources. TCC's collection includes: "Archival Journal / Primary Source Collections." Good coverage of history, sociology, anthropology, literature, and economics. All images from Artstor are now on JSTOR! - ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window
A full-text database offering journal articles and book chapters from more than 2,500 peer-reviewed journals and 11,000 books, including reference works. (Tip: After searching for your topic, choose the "Refine by subscribed journals" feature on the results page to view the items you can access free of charge because you are a TCC student.) - PsycARTICLES This link opens in a new window
(Also known as APA PsycARTICLES).(Ebsco) Periodical database of peer-reviewed, scholarly, and scientific articles in psychology.
Related Guide
The Peer-Review Process
Journals most often publish the original research studies carried out by researchers/experts/scholars for other researchers/experts/scholars. Journals are usually focused on a single subject (e.g. The American Journal of Nursing), and all of the articles submitted and published in that journal fall under that larger subject area. Not all journals use the peer-review process, but those that do, are called Peer-Reviewed Journals - and all of the studies/articles housed within them undergo that extra review process.
Who are the "peers" in "peer review"?
- Before it can be published, a peer reviewed article has been carefully reviewed by a board of other scholars in the same field of study as the author. So the "peers" in "peer review" are fellow scholars and researchers
- Sometimes these articles are referred to as "refereed."
Why? This is because the author's peers act as referees; they point out possible errors to make sure the final article reflects solid scholarship and advances understanding of the topic.
Limiting to Peer-Reviewed Journals
One of the great things about searching the library's databases is not just the free, full-text access they provide, but the filters! The majority of our library's periodical databases have a "Peer-Reviewed Journals" filter that you can simply check to limit your results to just journal articles that undergo this extra process.
Featured Video: Understanding the Peer-Review Process
Original Research Articles
Original Research ArticlesWhat is 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
Suggested Databases
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window(Ebsco) Periodical database. This multi-disciplinary database covers most disciplines taught at TCC. Most articles are scholarly.
- PsycARTICLES This link opens in a new window(Also known as APA PsycARTICLES).(Ebsco) Periodical database of peer-reviewed, scholarly, and scientific articles in psychology.
- ScienceDirect This link opens in a new windowA full-text database offering journal articles and book chapters from more than 2,500 peer-reviewed journals and 11,000 books, including reference works. (Tip: After searching for your topic, choose the "Refine by subscribed journals" feature on the results page to view the items you can access free of charge because you are a TCC student.)
- ProQuest Periodical Databases This link opens in a new windowMultiple periodical databases providing coverage of a wide range of topics, with a mix of popular and scholarly sources. Particularly good for current events.
Related Guides
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