PERIODICALS AND PERIODICAL DATABASES
PERIODICALS AND PERIODICAL DATABASES
"Periodicals" is a general term used to refer to newspapers, magazines and journals (publications that are published "periodically".) In some libraries, especially larger research libraries, the term "serials" is used more commonly than "periodicals." "Serials" is a slightly broader category than "periodicals". Serials include all periodicals as well as any publications, such as proceedings of conferences, that are issued in successive parts over an indefinite period. Periodical articles are often the best source for finding the most current and concise information on a topic. A variety of different periodical articles can provide varied perspectives on a topic and can often provide references to additional information.
The distinction between magazines and journals is not always very precise, but it is important to understand the general differences between these types of publications. Popular magazines (such as Time, Newsweek or Sports Illustrated) include those found on most newsstands, usually with flashy covers intended to entice a reader and commonly printed on glossy paper with many illustrations and photographs. Magazines are usually written by journalists for a fairly general audience so they are usually easier to read than journals, but the information they provide tends to be less detailed or authoritative. Articles in popular magazines usually report events, the author's opinion or simplified versions of the findings of others. Footnotes and bibliographies are rarely included in popular magazine articles. Browsing through popular magazines can sometimes be a useful method of finding an interesting topic for a research project. Articles in popular magazines usually provide some general overview information on current events, issues and trends.
Scholarly journals tend to be the most common sources of bibliographic research for serious researchers. These journals are usually oriented to students and professionals in a particular discipline and may be more difficult to understand for those who do not have some familiarity with the general field being discussed. Subject coverage tends to be more specialized and articles usually reflect the most recent research and important issues being discussed in a particular academic area. Scholarly journal articles usually review previous literature and report original research and almost always include extensive footnotes and bibliographies. Scholarly journal articles are often preceded by an abstract-- a brief summary of the article. Many scholarly journals are "refereed". Articles submitted for publication to a refereed journal are reviewed by an editorial board made up of scholars or authorities in the field to determine whether they are of high enough academic quality to be published.
Between popular magazines and scholarly journals are subject magazines (such as Scientific American or Smithsonian), professional journals (such as Anthropology Today or American Psychologist) and trade journals (such as Automotive News or PC Week). These types of publications sometimes look similar to popular magazines but they typically report on developments in a particular subject area, profession, trade or industry and are oriented to those who are either in the field or who have a particular interest in the subject matter. They differ from scholarly journals in that their articles do not usually include original research and, although they are often written by subject experts, the writing tends to be less complex and technical.
It is important to understand the use of each type of periodical in the research process. Each type of literature has a function and value in research. Popular articles often make a good point of entry for research. They can provide a basic introduction to a topic, an overview that may suggest possible approaches to the subject, divergent points of view, and perhaps some color. The college-level researcher will go on to collect scholarly articles that offer more focused, in-depth, original, research-based information. Subject or professional magazines may serve both sets of functions and are particularly useful for research in scientific and technical areas in which the scholarly materials may be too specialized for undergraduates. They offer the authority of experts without the complexity of original research accounts.
To find articles on a specific topic in different periodicals, various types of periodical databases and indexes are used. Periodical indexes allow users to search for articles in a particular set of periodicals. They are available in print, on CD-ROM and online and may include just citations to articles, summaries of articles or the full-text of articles. Periodical databases are the online or CD-ROM versions, which usually include at least an abstract (summary) of the article and increasingly also incude the full text of articles. Online and CD-ROM atabases usually index articles back to the mid-1980's at the earliest, while print indexes can go back to the early 20th century and, in a few cases, to the late 19th century. Articles from one particular newspaper or magazine or from several thousand periodicals may be included in a single index or database.
Articles may be accessed in a variety of ways by different databases, but keywords and subject headings are most common. How to figure out the best subject headings to use in periodical databases can sometimes be tricky. (For a full explanation of the use of subject headings, see the reading "Subject Headings".) It can be helpful to be aware of the publisher of periodical indexes because different indexes published by the same publisher are often organized and used in very similar ways.
More and more periodical indexes are accessible through the World Wide Web. Some are freely available to everyone and some require the payment of a substantial subscription. Many libraries and schools have made arrangements with index publishers to allow their patrons or students to have online access to subscription-based periodical indexes through some type of password or other controlled-access system.
General periodical indexes or databases provide access to articles in a wide range of subject areas in popular magazines and larger subject magazines and professional journals. Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature (published by H.W. Wilson), available in print, CD-ROM and Web versions, is the oldest and most well-known general index, but there are a number of increasingly popular competitors in online periodical databases, including InfoTrac Academic ASAP and InfoTrac General Reference Center.
InfoTrac Academic ASAP and InfoTrac General Reference Center (plus several other InfoTrac databases) are available at Skyline and all public libraries in San Mateo County and are also available on the World Wide Web at http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/plan_skyline. (A library card from any San Mateo County community college or public library is required for access.) Print volumes of Readers' Guide going back to the beginning of the 20th century are available at Skyline Library and many larger public libraries.
"Abstracts" are indexes that include a brief summary-- called an "abstract"-- of each article following the basic citation. Each abstract is generally from a couple of sentences to a few paragraphs in length. Abstracts have probably been the most common type of periodical indexes used in scholarly research and include many varieties, from general to highly specialized subject coverage. Academic ASAP, General Reference Center and Readers' Guide Abstracts are general periodical databases which include abstracts for most articles and full-text for a selected percentage of the articles.
Full-text. More and more periodicals databases now include the full-text of the articles of many of the publications that they index. Full-text means the complete text of the articles are included. The Academic ASAP database, for example, now includes the full-text of the articles for about half of the publications it indexes. Up until recently, full-text articles usually did not include any pictures or other graphics. Periodical databases on the Web are now including pictures and graphics for many of their full-text articles. Articles in Web periodical databases which are available in a type of file format called .pdf--which can be read with any Web browser that includes a plug-in (helper program) called Adobe Acrobat-- are exact image copies of the original articles and can be viewed and printed in out just like photocopies of the original publication.
Unlike books in a catalog, the periodicals included in indexes are not based on the holdings of a particular library. To find out which periodicals are carried by a particular library, you can use a "periodicals list" or "serials list". Some libraries include their periodicals in their main catalog, but many maintain a separate alphabetical list of periodical titles. These lists often indicate where each periodical is located in the library. In some libraries older copies of periodicals (called "back issues) are bound (like books) and are shelved in the regular stacks. In other libraries, back issues are kept in a separate periodicals section. Recent issues of periodicals ("current periodicals") are virtually always kept in a separate section. Many libraries also provide a subject list of their periodicals in addition to the titles list.
To find out which periodicals are carried by various libraries in a particular area, you can refer to a "union list of periodicals", which includes all periodicals carried by a group of different libraries.
To use the California Periodicals database to find which libraries in the Bay Area carry a specific periodical, follow these steps:
Libraries' periodicals lists are also commonly available on most libraries' online catalogs. In some catalogs periodical titles are listed in the same index as book titles and in some catalogs periodical titles are listed in a separate indexes.
| Home | Syllabus | Assignments | Text | Student Projects | Instructor |
last revised: 2-1-00 by Eric Brenner, Skyline College, San Bruno,
CA
These materials may be used for educational purposes if you inform and credit the author and cite the source as: LSCI 105 Online Research. All commercial rights are reserved. To contact the author, send comments or suggestions to: Eric Brenner at brenner@smcccd.cc.ca.us