Finding Articles: Using Indexes & Abstracts

Why would I be interested in identifying and using articles?

more up-to-date than books
focus on narrower topics than books
more details on specific topics than books

What varieties of articles exist, and where do I find them?

news, opinion, commentary, scholarly analysis, literary criticism, reports of research
brief newsletters by trade organizations
in-depth subject-based journals published by scientific societies or university presses
sources include many varieties of periodicals: newspapers, magazines, journals, etc.
may be in print or electronic or microfilm format

What do "periodical", "serial", and "journal" mean?

all these terms refer to materials published at intervals
periodicals are published at regular intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly...)
serials are published at irregular or infrequent (such as annual) intervals
"journal" usually refers to scholarly-level materials

How do I identify articles for my topic?

use an index

What is an index?

a tool, in print or electronic form, that identifies units of information (such as articles) from many sources at one time
searchable by topic/subject/keyword and by author names
provides you with the citation -- the information needed to identify the article, usually:
- the title of the article
- the author(s) of the article
- the source (name of the journal, magazine, newspaper, etc.)
- the date, volume, issue, and page numbers of the article
bonus features, if you're lucky:
- an abstract, or brief summary of information contained in the article
- an electronic link to the full text of the article

How do I choose the right index?

Each time you search, determine the following:
- What is your purpose?
- In what types of sources (newspaper, research journal, trade magazine...) are you interested?
- What depth of coverage (popular, scholarly) is appropriate?
- Are you interested in a specific academic subject area? (psychology, engineering, art, agriculture...)
- Are you looking for a few articles to get you started, preferably written in English? Or do you want literature from around the world, and including sources such as conferences, technical reports, and book chapters?

Once you know these answers, you can check the chart below, consult the Database Locator or the subject guides on the Libraries' home page, or ask a librarian to help choose the best index.

How do I find the article?

If you're using an electronic index that has a link (such as ) to the full text of the article, just click and go. You may need specific software applications, such as Acrobat, on your workstation -- read the screens.
Otherwise, search the UF Libraries' Catalog. Search by the journal/magazine title to determine whether the UF Libraries have a subscription to the magazine, journal, etc. that includes your article. Also search the E-Journals Locator.
If the UF Libraries do not have a subscription to the source journal, you may use the ILLiad Interlibrary Loan service to obtain a copy of the article.

What can I get from the computer?

Full text in electronic form is generally limited to recent (last 5 years or so) articles.
Some services provide only the text in electronic form. Some provide the full image, including charts, graphs, and photos.
Some services require a subscription, either personal or through the libraries, to access the full text/image.
Some library subscription-based services require you to enter your activated Gator-1 card number.
Some services allow you to order an article and pay (by credit card) to have it sent to you by fax or mail.

Why can't I just use the Internet?

current news
identifying people
general/popular information
company and product information

research and scholarly-level articles
comprehensive and organized access

**Selecting the Appropriate Index**
*Connect to the **indexes** from the Database Locator on the Libraries' web site unless otherwise indicated.*
To find articles from these types of sources:	For these sorts of materials:	Search in these indexes:

NEWSPAPERS

New York Times
Wall Street Journal

Gainesville Sun

Current information
News stories, features
Opinion and commentary
Texts of speeches, etc.
regional focus

Newspaper Abstracts
Historical Newspapers Online
Lexis/Nexis Academic
to locate other indexes, type NEWS in the Database Locator

MAGAZINES

U.S. News & World Report
Working Woman
Personal Computing

Time / Newsweek

Nontechnical language
Current events overviews
Book and movie reviews
Focus towards specific consumer groups
Directed advertisements

Academic Search PremierIndex
ArticleFirst
Wilson Select
Readers' Guide Abstracts
Lexis/Nexis Academic

POPULAR JOURNALS OF OPINION

New Republic
National Review
Utne Reader
Humanist

Educated audience
Particular viewpoint
Commentary on politics and society
Book and movie reviews, interviews

use indexes listed in magazines, above; also:

Alternative Press Index
GenderWatch
Ethnic NewsWatch

PROFESSIONAL TRADE JOURNALS

Adweek
Progressive Grocer

Modern Plastics

Written for practitioners in applied fields
Product information and ads
Current trends and practices
meetings, job ads, personalities

Applied Science & Technology Abstracts
Lexis/Nexis Academic
Academic Search Premier

RESEARCH JOURNALS

Psychobiology
Journal of Popular Culture
Nursing Management
Studies in Short Fiction
Mechanical Engineering

HortScience

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

TECHNICAL REPORTS

Scholarly language of the field
Often non-profit, no ads
Charts, graphs, tech drawings
Reports of oringinal research or thought
Research methods, results, discussions, literature reviews, and extensive citations

Subject-specialized indexes and abstracts:

Agricola
Art Index
EconLit
Engineering Index
ERIC
Medline
MLA Bibliography
PsycInfo

Searchable collections of research journals online:

JSTOR
Project Muse

Format-specific indexes, such as:

NTIS (government reports)

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