Using MAGAZINE
INDEXES
[and locating magazine, journal &
newspaper titles at ISU]
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| Magazine indexes are reference sources which
help you
locate magazine articles on various subjects. There are two types of
indexes: general and subject-specialized. The classic example of a
general
index (print) is Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature
(covers 1900
to the present, located in the Reference Index Alcove) -- it helps you
locate articles in general interest magazines, like Time and
Newsweek, on a wide variety of subjects. Biological and
Agricultural
Index is an example of a subject-specialized index -- it helps you
locate articles dealing specifically with biological and/or
agricultural
topics which have appeared in specialized magazines and journals. Even
though many indexes are now published in computerized format, it is
still
necessary to use printed indexes in many fields, or for older
materials
(usually from the mid-1980s back).
Online, ProQuest's PA Research II Periodicals and
Ebscohost's Academic Search Premier and MasterFILE Premier
provides similar coverage. Sometimes it is easy to tell, from the title of
the index, what subject areas are covered; e.g. Art Index, Education
Index, Library Literature, and Book Review Digest. Sometimes
the title doesn't help at all; e.g. ABI/Inform covers business,
Academic Universe isn't one database, it's several, and covered
general topics, as well as legal and medical topics. It's easy to identify
what indexes cover what
topics if you use the Library's Database--Subject
links. For
newspaper article choices, use our Newspaper Databases & Internet
sites
research
guide. For printed indexes, or just to find out what index/es
you
should use, it's easiest just to ask at the Reference Desk or use the
online
help.
Regardless of the index, and regardless of whether or not it is a print or
online index, you need to be able to recognize the standard parts of a
citation to a magazine/journal. We'll use an excerpt from the Reader's
Guide to discuss the printed index. If you want information on online
indexes, refer to the handout on ProQuest (also available
online).
Using the Reader's Guide:
Look up your subject alphabetically. Subject headings appear in
bold print, flush to the left margin.
Pay attention to any See also references which may be listed under
your subject. See also references narrow your topic to more
specific areas; they identify other subject headings that you might want
to look up for additional information.
Note subheadings (bold print, centered in the printed
column). Subheadings also help you narrow your search.
Each indented cluster of information is a citation to an article on your
topic. A citation is like an "address" -- it provides you with the
information you need to locate an article: article title, author, magazine
title, magazine volume number, article page numbers, and magazine date.
All of this information is very important!
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|
Example from Printed Index
(Reader's Guide to Periodical
Literature)
|
SUBJECT HEADING
è
*CITATIONè
|
Department stores
See also
Nordstrom, Inc.
R.H. Macy & Co., Inc.
Customer Relations
The store is where the action is [customer service at Nordstrom stores and
Macy's] T. J. Peters. il U S News World Rep 100:58 My 12 '88
*This citation is for an article titled, "The
store is where the action is..." written by T.J. Peters. It appeared in
the May 12, 1988 issue of U.S. News & World Report, volume 100,
page 58. This article is illustrated (il).
|
ç
SEE ALSO's
ç
SUBHEADING
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| Interpreting a Citation: Citations have
various symbols and abbreviations. You must decode these by using
two different tables of abbreviations provided in the beginning pages of
each issue or volume of the index you are using: Abbreviations of
Periodicals Indexed and Abbreviations. Since publishers often
devise their own abbreviation systems, DO NOT SECOND GUESS CITATION
ABBREVIATIONS...because if you guess incorrectly, you will be
looking for something that does not exist!
ABSTRACTS: Sometimes the index entry will include, following
the basic citation, an Abstract. An abstract is simply a
summary of the main points of the article. This is more common in a
specialized subject index. The purpose is to allow the researcher an idea
of the article's content before taking the time to go to the actual
article. Abstracts often contain important and useful information but
using the information in the abstract (perhaps 50-100 words) is in no way
the same as reading and summarizing
the actual article. Do not cite the Abstract as if it were the complete
article! In online databases, you often have a choice of printing just the
citation, or the citation plus the abstract, the entire entry (many
different fields of information, some important and some not). Also, if
you are using a database that is both index and full-text, you will have
that additional printing and emailing option.
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| If you have a citation for an article, first check
the
E-Journal listing to see if we have access to the full-text. If
you
don't find the periodical title listed, go to the Online Catalog to
search. [For more info, refer to the
Find That Article
guide] |
|
USING the Library
Catalog
{LUIS} TO LOCATE THE MAGAZINE/JOURNAL/NEWSPAPER
ARTICLE
|
 |
| After decoding the citation in an index, you should
have the complete, unabbreviated title of the magazine or journal in which
the article appeared. Most indexes today will list the complete journal
title, but sometimes, especially if your citation comes from a printed
bibliography, the magazine/journal title will be abbreviated. The
Reference Desk has sources to help you decipher the abbreviation, and
there are some online resources, too.
|
 |
| You should also have the title of the
article, the volume number of the magazine, the date of the magazine, and
the page number(s) of the article. Go to the Library Home Page
and click on Library Catalogs --> Library Catalog {LUIS} (or
go there directly). Select
Author/Title/Subject Search. To see if we subscribe to
the magazine you need to do a Journal Title search. When typing in
the title of your magazine, leave off any initial article (e.g., for
The Journal of Musicology, your LUIS search should be: journal
of musicology).
If there is more than one record under your Journal Title, you will get a
screen listing all matching titles. If only one title matches your search,
you will be taken directly to the entry for that title.
Clicking on the Journal Title that you think matches your search
will take you to a Brief View screen. [The Long View
contains a lot of information, some very important, and some not important
at all.] Look for the exact volume and date you need (you may find it
under multiple listings). You can email records to yourself for later
dissection, or print them. Use the icons in the Save Options
box at the bottom of the screen to print and/or email.
Location=ISU Periodicals (Main Library, Lower Level) is a default
phrase. Look specifically for the information combination: CALL NUMBER and
HOLDINGS INFO. If your volume/year is listed under HOLDINGS INFO, it will
be under the CALL NUMBER on the appropriate floor of the library. If your
volume/year is listed under CURRENT ISSUES, it will be located,
alphabetically by title, in Current Periodicals on the library's Lower
Level.
Location=ISU Microforms Periodicals is also a default phrase. Look
under HOLDINGS INFO for your specific volume/year. If you find it, go to
Teaching Materials, Microforms & Media (2nd floor) and find
your journal alphabetically.
Location=ISU Electronic Resources; Call Number: Proquest or
PQD or EBSCOHOST or…. on the Internet means that the
article should be available online
and full-text, beginning with the date shown at On-Line Full Text
coverage begins [date]. If it is a link to an online article,
simply click on the Link to Electronic Subscription; and you will
be linked to the source will open to a list of the individual issues under
your magazine/journal title. Click on the volume/issue. [If, for some
reason, you connect to a source that is not actually full-text, let us
know so that we can correct this problem asap!]
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|
LUIS Searching: IMPORTANT
REMINDERs!!
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| If you are searching for more than one Journal
Title, you will have to re-select Journal Title on the
search screen (if you don't, it will default to AUTHOR!). Magazine
articles not locally available may be requested through the Interlibrary
Loan office (1st floor) by ISU students, faculty and staff. For more
information in interpreting the information you find, refer to the
"Find That Article" guide. |
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SCHOLARLY JOURNAL ARTICLE
vs. MAGAZINE ARTICLE
What's the Difference, and Who Cares?
|
| Well, the answer to the question is, your
professors do!
So it's important to be able to tell the difference, especially if
you are
required to have a certain number of each kind of article. Actually,
in
print index days it was a lot easier, because the Reader's Guide was
the
magazine article index, and everything else was usually considered
to be a
journal article index, so you didn't have to second-guess. However,
many
online databases contain a mix; and they don't have a standardized
format.
A number of other libraries have developed web pages designed to help
explain
the differences. We have gathered some of the best information and links
from
these sites for you to examine.
You can take our
Tutorial on evaluating and identifying different types of articles.
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Articles in Journals and
Magazines
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Scholarly Journal
Articles
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Popular Magazine
Articles
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are signed by the author(s) |
may or may not be signed |
are written by experts or
specialists in the field
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may be written by a non-expert
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include the author's credentials, such as his/her position and
affiliated
institution
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may or may not include author's position and affiliated
institution
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may begin with an abstract
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do not begin with an abstract
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include references and/or notes citing the author's
research
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do not include references or notes
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may report new research or review past research
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usually not reporting cutting-edge research
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contain specialized language
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are written for the general public; contain little or no
specialized
language
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can be lengthy
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mostly are short
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may be refereed, meaning that the articles
are reviewed by experts in the field
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articles reviewed only by the editor
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Entire Issues of Journals and
Magazines
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Scholarly Journals
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Popular Magazines
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often have plain covers, or very little design
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have colorful, slick covers
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may be published by an association, institution or scholarly
press
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are published for profit
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are distributed to a specific audience
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are widely marketed and distributed
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may have continuous pagination
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usually restarts pagination with each issue
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may include book reviews pertaining to the field as a regular
feature
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usually do not include formal book reviews as a regular
feature
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may include advertisements for publications or services in the
related field
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include general advertisements
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may publish an annual index in addition to being indexed by
indexing services
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may be indexed by indexing services
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If you need help using indexes or the Online Catalog, ask
for assistance at the Information Desk or email
us.
[Source of charts:
http://library.fortlewis.edu/instruct/lib150/commontypes.html#characteristics.
Accessed September 23, 2003]
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