Periodicals Resources
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These tips will answer some of the questions you might have
about using periodicals at the Richland County Public Library.
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What
are periodicals?
Periodicals are publications that appear regularly at fixed
intervals. Some examples of periodicals are:
- Magazines;
- Newspapers;
- Newsletters; and
- Scholarly journals.
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What are scholarly
journals?
Scholarly journals:
- Report the research of scholars;
- Are prepared for a specific discipline;
- Are intended for the use of professionals and students;
- Are long research articles with tables, graphs and charts;
- May be referred to as peer-reviewed or refereed journals.
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Where are the periodicals
located?
In the Main Library, the Periodicals Department is located
on the second level. Periodicals are available in different
formats including:
- Print: most magazines are kept in print for two years.
Newspapers are kept for one month or until microfilm arrives.
- Bound: a small selection of magazines is kept in book
format.
- Microfilm/microfiche; copies of magazines and newspapers
for previous years may be kept on microfilm.
- Online databases (available at all branches and from any
Internet connection.)
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How do I find an article
about my topic?
There are several online databases available for article
searches. Some of the databases will have articles in full
text that can be e-mailed or printed. The date indexing begins
varies for each magazine and newspaper, but, generally, articles
from the 1990s to present are available. Try one of these
databases:
- EbscoHost;
- Infotrac and Infotrac Onefile;
- SIRS (Discoverer and Knowledge Source);
- CQ Researcher;
- NewsBank; and
- Ethnic Newswatch (available via EbscoHost).
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Which database should
I use?
- EbscoHost and Infotrac search for articles in popular
magazines, major newspapers and scholarly journals.
- To search for scholarly articles in EbscoHost use
the “advanced search” option and mark peer-reviewed.
- The Infotrac databases Expanded Academic and Infotrac
Onefile will search for scholarly articles by marking
refereed publications.
- SIRS Discoverer searches full text articles for young
researchers. SIRS Knowledge Source will search full text
articles for high school and college researchers.
- EbscoHost and Ethnic Newswatch can be used for foreign
language searches.
- Check the Help section or Search Tips section in each
database if you need help finding articles.
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Are there other periodical
databases?
Yes, there are additional databases that have a specific
focus.
- CQ Researcher provides legislative news and analysis.
- Newsbank provides full text for many newspapers including
The State.
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Can I search for
articles from home?
Many of our magazine databases are available to library
patrons if they have a library card in good standing.
- Click the Research Tools button which is on every page
of the main Web site.
- Click News and Magazines.
- Select a database to search.
- Input your 14-digit library barcode without the spaces.
Your PIN number is the last four digits of your phone number.
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How do I find the full
text of an article if the online database does not have the
full text?
- Write down the title of the magazine, the date the article
was published and the page number.
- Look in the library catalog to see if the library owns
that title and issue. The catalog will also tell if the
article is in print or microform. Copies of articles may
be printed from the microfilm.
- EbscoHost will tell if a title is held locally (in the
Main Library) or not. Check the catalog to see if we have
that specific issue.
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How do I find
articles that are too old to be in an online magazine database?
For articles that are not available online use one these
print indexes.
- Reader’s Guide to Periodical
Literature indexes articles from popular magazines
from 1890 to present.
- New York Times Index indexes
the New York Times from 1851
to present.
- Subject indexes are available for specific disciplines.
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How do I cite
articles for my research?
- A citation has three main divisions: author’s name,
title of the article and publication information.
- There are different styles for citing articles. Check
with your teacher for the one to use.
- Citation manuals are available in General Reference or
at any branch.
- Check the online databases help section. They will explain
how to cite online sources.
What is a
primary source?
- A primary source is a firsthand testimony or direct evidence
of a topic such as a letter, interview, diary or book review.
- A magazine or newspaper article published during the time
of the topic would also be a primary source. For example,
if the topic is about the space shuttle Challenger explosion
a newspaper article from January 29, 1986 would be a primary
source.
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How do I find
book reviews?
Check the following indexes in the year the book was published.
- Book Review Index: 1965 –
present.
- Book Review Digest: 1905 –
present.
- Readers Guide to Periodical Literature
lists book reviews in the back of the index: 1977 –
present. For earlier years, research the book as a subject
heading.
- EbscoHost, Infotrac and Ethnic Newswatch will also have
book reviews from about 1990 to present.
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Back to Main Periodicals Department
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