INDEX: [What are Articles?] [How should I use Articles?]
[Where can I find Databases & Articles?] [Which database should I consult?]
Articles are “self-contained nonfiction prose composition on a fairly narrow topic or subject, written by one or more authors and published under a separate title in a collection or periodical containing other works of the same form.”[1] These articles can largely be found within publications such as academic journals, magazines, or newspapers. Collections of these journals and articles are often stored in electronic indexes known as databases.
Note: Even though articles are commonly found online in databases THEY ARE NOT WEBPAGES and they qualify as legitimate sources for academic research. Articles from a quality database are as authoritative as if you held the print copy in hand.
Articles often allow for the most current perspectives on a given topic due to their rapid production and publication. Articles can be used for research support (paper citations), background reading, self instruction, or pleasure reading. Due to their typical brevity they often cannot probe a subject as deeply as a book or other monograph.
Articles should be cited in accordance with the instructor’s assignment parameters. For help with the writing or citation process consult your instructor, librarian, or other educator. See, User Guide – Citation. Also, here are some useful web pages:
· Harvard’s Writing Center: (http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/resources.html)
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· UNC’s Writing Center: (http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/)
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(http://www.liu.edu/cwis/CWP/library/workshop/citation.htm)
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· Bluefield State College (http://www.bluefieldstate.edu/library.htm)
o Click “Find Articles” to locate databases
o Select database, search for article, and then save or print article
o If article is only listed as a citation/abstract, first consult another database to see if it can found there as full text or request an interlibrary loan copy
(Copies of journal pages usually require a small fee)
· Greenbrier Valley Campus (New River) (http://nrctc.edu/subPages/library/index.htm)
o Databases found directly off of main page
o Select database, search for article, and then save or print article
o If article is only listed as a citation/abstract, first consult another database to see if it can found there as full text or request and interlibrary loan
(Copies of journal pages usually require a small fee)
· West Virginia Library Commission (http://librarycommission.lib.wv.us/electronicresourses.htm)
o Those databases that have “Available statewide” are free for use
o Select database, search for article, and then save or print article
· Other Institutions†
o Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/rr/ElectronicResources/)
§ Search for databases by subject or title
§ Those databases that do not have the locked symbol are free for use
§ Search for article and then save or print article
o Academic
Library, e.g.
§ In house use only (non-students can access databases at library)
o Public Library, e.g. NY Public Library (http://www.nypl.org/databases/)
§ Search for databases by subject or title
§ Those databases that have the earth symbol are free for use
§ Search for article and then save or print article
o Open Access Journals‡
§ OAIster (http://oaister.umdl.umich.edu/o/oaister/)
§ Directory of Open Access Journals (http://www.doaj.org/)
§ Wikipedia, Directory of Open Access Projects: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access#Open_access_projects)
† While some resources offered by Other Institutions can
be used remotely and without charge, most databases will have either limited
online access or ‘in-house only’ access to non-members. Nevertheless,
many legitimate and useful information resources can be found for free by
diligent online searching or by an in person visits.
‡ “A scholarly
periodical that makes the full text of the articles it publishes universally
and freely available via the Internet in easy to read format, in some cases by
depositing them immediately upon publication without embargo in at least one
widely recognized open access repository. In this new model of scholarly
communication, the costs of publication are recovered not from subscription
fees, but from publication fees paid by authors out of their grant funds or
from other sources” (ODLIS).
· Internet Search
Sometimes a copy of a given article will be posted online and can be found using a simple Google or Yahoo search; a recommended searching method is to search under the author(s) and title of the article. When the article is published by an association, group, institution, or individual they sometimes attach a copy of the article to their professional or personal homepage. In particular, it is common for researchers and academics to link to full text copies of articles that they have created or contributed to on their online resume or CV.
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Interlibrary Loan (
Your first step is to search for items that are available on hand at nearby libraries. If none of the available library collections have what you need your next option is to request items via interlibrary loan. Books, articles, and sometimes even other media formats (DVD, CD, etc.) can be ordered. Order times vary and can range from a few days to a few weeks or longer. Lending privileges vary depending on whether or not you are a faculty, staff, student, or community borrower so contact each library directly for full details.
o
No charge for most items
o Bluefield State College (http://www.bluefieldstate.edu/library/ill.htm)
No charge/item; $.10/page for photocopy costs
o Raleigh County Public Library (http://rcpl.lib.wv.us/)
$1.00/item; case by case basis for photocopy costs
Most databases limit themselves by subject matter or types of articles. To choose an appropriate database for your research, see User Guide – Choosing the Right Database.
[1] Reitz, Joan M. ODLIS — Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science. Libraries Unlimited. http://lu.com/odlis/ (9 May 2006).