In previous assignments you learned how to locate books by using the on-line catalog and to find books on the shelf by using the Library of Congress Classification System. However, books often do not contain the most recent information. If you are researching a current topic, magazine or journal articles are a good source of information. You can use a journal index to locate articles just as you used the online catalog to locate books. Articles in magazines such as Time, People and Sports Illustrated, and more scholarly journals such as Administrative Management and The Journal of Nursing Management are accessed by subject using various journal indexes.
Indexes tie together journals and articles on your subject. All articles about child abuse would be listed together under the subject heading "Child Abuse," even though the articles are in different journals. Subject headings are always in alphabetic order. If you are having difficulty locating your subject in an index, remember that there may be more than one way to list a subject.
Each subject area has its own journal index. For example, business articles are indexed in Business Source, nursing articles are indexed in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and education articles are indexed in Education Index. Be sure you are using the correct index for your subject.
A citation is a term used to refer to each entry listed in an index. The complete citation for an article would include the title of article, author (if one is listed), the name of the journal, the volume number, the pages and date of the journal issue. Make sure you write down or print out the entire citation so you will be able to locate the journal article. Write down or print out citations for more than one article in case someone else is using the journal or the article is not exactly what you require.
Many of our journal indexes are computerized and the full text of the article may be printed directly from the computer.
Click HERE for a complete list of the The Capital Community College Library Databases and their descriptions. Remember to click on the X in the upper right hand corner of the screen to return to the tutorial.
At this point in the workbook, we are going to practice looking for a journal article using the online database MasterFile Elite. You will need a current CCC Library Card to complete the exercise. If you do not have a card submit the following Library Card Application and we will email you a barcode number.
- Click on MasterFile Elite and scroll to the bottom of the page. MasterFile is the last choice on the left hand column.
- Click on MasterFile Elite. If you are asked, click in the box and enter your library card barcode #. Make sure the box next to MasterFILE Elite is checked and then click on it.
- Do a practice search. Type in global warming or if you prefer, any topic of your choice.
- Click on Search.
- Find an article that includes Full Text and click on the title of the article.
- Scroll down to view the full text of the article.
- At the bottom of the page click on Print/E-mail/Save.
- E-mail the current item to oconnor@commnet.edu; Subject = masterfile and Submit.
- Click on the X in the upper right hand corner of the screen to return to the tutorial.
Click MasterFile Elite to begin.
Remember that if you use material from journals and other outside resources in your paper, you are responsible for giving proper credit to the authors of that material for citing that material in an acceptable format. For assistance, consult the CCC online GUIDE FOR WRITING RESEARCH PAPERS.
You can use the frame at left to go to any chapter you wish to explore next. The next chapter in order, however, is Chapter Four -- Finding Information: Newspapers.