Where Do I Look For Periodical Articles?

You find ALL kinds of information - from academic research to hoaxes and scams. There is no review process.

You find information that may have been previously published in print format. The information has gone through a review process.

It is not always easy to tell where the information came from, nor how trustworthy the information might be. You have to evaluate the content for yourself.

Citations clearly identify where the information came from and when it was published.

You typically perform a keyword search. You will find many, many websites that have your keywords in them.

You search for keywords or subject or author, etc. A database organizes and indexes its content for easy retrieval.

Often times, websites for print periodicals that you must typically purchase/subscribe to, will ask for payment (credit card info.) to download one of their articles. Why would a publication give access to their magazine for free online when they charge for the print version? They usually don't!

The library has paid a fee to the databases in order to allow their students access to these collections of articles and information. That is why it is necessary to type in your Portal login to access the databases from off campus.

Most of the articles and information available in the databases are NOT available for free on the Internet.