Home > For Peabody Students > Online Tutorials > How to Find Periodical Articles
What Kinds of Articles Are You Looking For?
In most cases your research assignment will require locating scholarly articles. If you are not sure what the difference is between a popular article and a scholarly one, read this guide prepared by Cornell University to help you understand the difference.
Searching for Articles
Many periodical indexes are now available in electronic format. There are also excellent indexes still in print that can be found in the libraries on campus. To locate appropriate articles you will need to choose the correct database that covers your subject.
The Electronic Databases web page links to many electronic databases available at Vanderbilt. Remember that there are many more available that are not accessible via the World Wide Web. Ask a library staff member for help to choose appropriate databases.
How Do I Get This Article?
When you have found a citation for an article, how do you get it? There are several possible answers. And remember: if you need help, feel free to ask a library staff member--in person, by phone (322-8098), or through the ? Ask Us service.
- Many databases (for example, ERIC, PsycINFO, etc.) will display a
button next to each record in the database. Click on this button to open a menu to see if the library provides online full-text access to the article that the record describes. Also on the menu are links that enable you to check ACORN (our online catalog) to see if we have the item in paper form; interlibrary loan links to order the item from a non-Vanderbilt library (when Vanderbilt doesn't own it); and so on. - If you used a database that did not display a button, you need to check to see if we own the journal by looking in ACORN. Enter the journal title, change the type of search in the dropdown to "Periodical Title Begins With," and click the "Search" button.
- If you still can't find what you are looking for, don't despair! Use Interlibrary Loan to obtain the article from another library.
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Last updated September 9, 2004.