Library Guide 1:
Locating Articles in Periodicals: Using Periodical Indexes

Periodicals (magazines, journals, newspapers) are a major source of information, and are especially valuable for current information on a variety of subjects. To locate articles in periodicals a periodical index should be used.

Periodical indexes are listings of articles, from periodicals, arranged alphabetically by subject. Some indexes cover specific subjects (i.e., The Business Periodicals Index) while others cover a variety of subjects (i.e., Readers' Guide To Periodical Literature).

To link to our electronic journal indexes, click here.

TO USE A PERIODICAL INDEX:

1. Select an index that covers your subject area. The library owns over 80 periodical indexes. For a list of available indexes and their locations see the list, Index List, posted near the third floor information desk. Below are some examples of indexes available in the Brooklyn Campus Library.

   Index
   Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature (covers most subjects)
   Business Periodicals Index
   Social Sciences Index
   General Humanities Index
   Humanities Index

2. Look up the topic in the index.Periodical indexes are arranged alphabetically by subject. For example, to find current articles on health care reform one can look in a recent volume of Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature under health care reform. The December 1995 volume lists 3 articles under that heading.

   HEALTH CARE REFORM
   

   Been there, done it [similarities between the G.O.P's Medicare Plan and B.
   Clinton's health reforms] M. Kinsley. The New Republic v213
   p12+ O 9 '95
   Health care [discussion of June 1995 article, What to do about health care]
   D. Frum Commentary v100 p7+ O '95

3. Carefully evaluate the list of articles. Once the appropriate articles are found, copy the full citation in the index. A full bibliographic citation includes the title, author and page numbers of an article, as well as the volume, date, and name of the journal it was published in.
   

4. Check to see if the library subscribes to the periodical. To determine which periodicals the library owns consult the periodicals holding book: LIU Periodicals 1998. A copy is located just inside the library entrance on the third floor and other copies are available at the Periodicals Desk on the fourth floor. If your web browser supports Java (generally Netscape and Internet Explorer versions 3+ ) you may also link to a list of periodicals titles which the library owns.This list does not have information about the specific volumes and years which the library owns. If the library does not own the periodical, there are several options for obtaining needed materials not available at LIU. You may either request the item from another library through the Interlibrary Loan Department, or obtain a Metro referal to a library where the material is available. Please consult a reference librarian about these options.

5. Fill out a periodicals request slip. To obtain the complete article fill out a request slip for the magazine journal or newspaper, and hand it in at the Periodicals Desk on the fourth floor. A Periodical staff person will retrieve the magazine, journal or newspaper.

   OTHER TIPS ON USING PERIODICAL INDEXES:

1. People's names, company names, and organizations, may also be subjects. For instance, the 1994 volume of Reader's Guide has a substantial number of articles about Fidel Castro. Here is an example of three:

   CASTRO, FIDEL, 1927
   

   Castro and pridefall. W.F. Buckley. National Review v46 p78-9 S 26 '94
   Castro Gambles on the dollar. O.Davila Andrade, il World Press Review
   v40 p19-20 O '93
   Castro's Legacy. E.F. Betancourt. Society v31 p66-72 JL/Ag '94

2. Periodical Indexes frequently provide cross references ("See" and "See also" references) that direct the user to the appropriate subject term(s) for the topic. For example, the cross-reference below indicates that articles on IMMIGRANT LABOR will be found under the subject heading ALIEN LABOR not IMMIGRANT LABOR.
   IMMIGRANT LABOR See Alien Labor

   The "see also" reference means that in addition to listing articles under the subject heading DISCRIMINATION related articles can be found under the headings Affirmative action, etc.

   DISCRIMINATION

   See also

   Affirmative action Ageism Race discrimination reverse discrimination sex discrimination

    

3. PERIODICAL DATABASES: ELECTRONIC INDEXES

   Periodical databases are another way to locate articles in periodicals. Like the print indexes, they are a compilation of bibliographic citations on a particular subject or information of general interest. There are eleven periodical databases available to library users, ten subject databases and InfoTrac, a general interest database covering a broad range of topical issues. The subject databases are as follows:

   ERIC (Education)
   PsycLIT (Psychology and Behavioral Sciences)
   Medline (Medicine)
   CINAHL (Nursing and Allied Health)
   International Pharmaceutical Abstacts
   MLA International Bibliography (Literature and Languages)
   Sociofile (Sociology and Criminology)
   Library and Information Science Abstracts Plus (LISA)
   Ethnic Newswatch
   Art Index
   

   Keep in mind that there are only ten subject databases compared to over 80 print indexes. Before attempting to retrieve citations from the periodical databases, it may be useful to consult a Reference Librarian. A Reference Librarian will assist in choosing the appropriate database or print index, and help to construct the search so that relevant citations are retrieved.