Leddy Library
How to find articles

Which best describes your situation?

I have a particular article in mind and I know the name of the journal that it was published in. I want to know if the Leddy Library has this article and how to get it

I am doing research on a topic and I need articles to support my argument

I want to browse the online table of contents of a journal

I know that the Leddy Library doesn't have the article I want. I want to know how I can get a copy of the article from elsewhere

I am looking for newspaper articles

I am looking for magzine articles

I am looking for encyclopedia entries



"I have a particular article in mind..."

As an example, let's say that you want to find a copy of an article called the "The tragedy of the commons" that was published in volume 162 of Science in 1968 on pages 1243-1248.

This type of information is commonly referred to as a citation.

1. You should search the Browse Online Journals section on the Leddy Library's homepage to see if we have an online subscription to the journal Science.



In this case, there are two results by searching for science



When you click on the link for Science a new window should open with links that will take you to the full text of the journal through various date ranges.



Since the article that we're interested in was published in 1968, we have to click on the third link that reads Full Text Online JSTOR Health and General Sciences.

After following this link, we are given the option to "Search This Journal" or "Browse This Journal". If we select, "Browse This Journal" we will get a page of "Volumes Available For Browsing".



Our citation informs us that the article should be in Vol. 162. Clicking on that link brings a list of issues.



Our citation tells us the article is written on pages 1243-1248. So we should click on the No. 3859 link.

This will bring us to a table of contents for that issue and in the page we can find our article.




If there are no online holdings for your journal, you will see the libraries print holdings listed at the bottom. In the example above, you see the library has holdings from 1945 until 2003.

When an article is found in a journal that is print, you need to make note of the journal's call number as the call number informs where the journal is shelved in the library.

If you use the Call Number Locations guide, you learn that the journal Science can be found in the Ground Floor of the West Building of the Leddy Library.

To sum up, if you have enough citation information about an article you
Still Having Trouble?
Ask for help - that's what we're here for!



"I am doing research on a topic and I need articles..."

The Leddy Library has a collection of research tools that can help you find articles on your topic. Most of these research tools are are online and we have organized them by subject and by title.

As an example, suppose you are looking for research on zebra mussels in the Great Lakes.

Start your research in the Biological Sciences section of the Journal Articles and Research Tools By Subject area of the library's website. On the Biological Sciences page there are a number of research tools listed. Please be aware that you can use the research tools on the Leddy Library website both on-campus and off-campus.



For this example, we are going to use Natural Sciences @ Scholar's Portal.

Keep in mind that while there are many similarities in regards to using these databases, each research tool is different in terms of subject, publications covered, and how searches are constructed.

In Natural Sciences @ Scholar's Portal, we can put in a search like this:



After hitting the search button, we receive over 1000 results returned. Each result is a citation. The citation will be followed by a brief excerpt of that article's abstract with the words that we had just searched for in bold.



If you click on the get it! button another window will open that will provide you with a number of links and services depending on the article. In many cases, the full text of the article will be available through this button.

If you find a citation to an article that you are interested in but there is no full-text link or get it! button, copy down the citation information and follow the instructions as outlined in the I have a particular article in mind and I know the name of the journal that it was published in. I want to know if the Leddy Library has this article and how to get it section of this page.

To sum up, if you are looking for articles you
Still Having Trouble?
Ask for help - that's what we're here for!



"I want to browse the online table of contents of a journal"

Most of the online journals available from the Leddy Library are accessible from the Browse Online Journals section on the Leddy Library's homepage.

If you are looking for the online table of contents of a journal that is not available from the Leddy Library, use Ulrich's International Periodical Directory to find more information.

Still Having Trouble?
Ask for help - that's what we're here for!


updated February 2008