Tarleton State University Libraries Unit 6 FINDING ARTICLES & CITATIONS Periodicals (journals, newspapers, magazines, etc.) are publications that usually have fixed or regular publication dates (i.e. weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.). Most research activities involve using periodical articles (brief compositions) because periodicals offer more current information than books. Also, original research is most often published in periodicals (primarily in scholarly journals) and may not be available in books. Given that periodicals are published in many formats with varying degrees of editorial or publishing control and with different purposes, researchers need to understand the characteristics of various periodical types. Also, they should become familiar with the most efficient ways to locate articles so their research efforts are more successful. This unit supplies information to help these endeavors. OVERVIEW: The components of this unit offer information about •  the characteristics of various periodical types -- scholarly journals, trade journals, & popular/general interest magazines •  types of search tools (finding tools) used to locate articles -- periodical indexes & abstracts, databases, and Internet tools •  ways to obtain desired articles -- locating articles using citations, -- choosing between various formats, -- requesting articles that are not locally available. The last parts of this unit offer activities related to Unit 6 topics and a review. GOALS: After completing the sections in this unit, you should •  understand how to differentiate between different periodical types, •  understand the characteristics of various search tools, •  know how to choose the best search tools for your research, •  know how to use search tools to locate articles & citations, •  understand which online formats are available & preferred, and •  know how to obtain articles when they are locally available.      Unit 5: Finding Books, Media, etc. Comparing Types of Periodicals    Library Orientation Site Index Updated 7/2004