1.1. Other Periodical Databases Available
Other
Periodical Databases Available
In addition to the 10
Infotrac databases, 
· Ethnic Newswatch Complete
· CQ Researcher
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One big difference
compared to the Infotrac databases is that ALL the articles you find
in the two databases listed above are full-text. The CQ
Researcher will be very useful for your research needs, but it isn't
like the other periodicals databases because it indexes only one periodical,
the CQ Researcher. This database is described by its publisher as:
"...an online archive of reports on contemporary issues." In
addition to having the complete article/reports, many students use CQ
Researcher for background information, for pro/con information about an
issue and for topic ideas. You will notice
another online database: the Literature Resource Center. The Literature
Resource Center includes some periodical articles, but it really is a
reference database, because it primarily contains biographical information
about writers and literary criticism about literature. If you are ever
researching a writer, this is the database for you! You may also notice
on CCSF Library's ARTICLES Web page a database called FIND
ARTICLES. This is a collection of periodical articles free on the public, free
Web. It contains articles from about 300 periodicals going back only to 1998.
You don't need a CCSF barcode on your ID card to access it because it's not a
private database that In addition to CCSF's online databases, a large number of other
databases are available to you through a public library, such as the San
Francisco Public Library if you have a current public library card. These
include the:
With your SF Public Library Card you have free access to these
databases. If you have another public library card, check with that library,
as you will also be able to access their periodical databases from home. This
lesson's practice assignment requires you to have a public library card. |
1.2. Other Search Features
Other Search Features
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In general you can
use everything you learned about searching the InfoTrac
databases when you search any other periodical database, such as keyword
searching; using the connector words AND, OR, NOT; limiting options; and
printing or e-mailing articles you find. HOWEVER, you should always review
the HELP or SEARCH TIPS screens to learn more about a new database's special
options. The following
features may be new to you, however:
Especially useful in these databases is the "Advanced
Search" option which allows for searching your keywords in specific
fields, like the title field. You will get practice using these features in
this Lesson's practice quiz and the Graded Assignment for periodical
databases that you will do after this Lesson's practice quiz. |
1.3. Print Periodical Indexes
Print Periodical
Indexes
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What do you do when you need a magazine or newspaper article
published in the 1960's or before the time period that periodical databases
cover? |
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Or, suppose you need to find some very specialized information
in specific periodicals that are not included in an electronic databases to
which you have access. |
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Suppose you want to find articles in the New York Times newspaper
about something that happened about 8 months ago. But because CCSF does not
subscribe to the electronic New York Times database, must you look at
every daily newspaper for the past 5 months? |
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These situations may
happen to you at some point in your college work. They are all good reasons
to learn about print periodical indexes. One well-known index
that includes a wide variety of periodicals and covers all topics is the Reader's
Guide to Periodical Literature (RG). |
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Here are a few other
examples ofperiodical indexes to show you the
variety of subjects they cover:
A sample of the
results of a search in the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature on
"gun control" is shown below. Notice what each part of the citation
represents. When you find abbreviations that you don't recognize, look in the
front of the Reader's Guide volume for a page where the abbreviations
are explained. |
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Can you tell from
this citation whether or not this would be a good article for public opinion
about gun control? Indeed, it's difficult to evaluate the usefulness of
articles because the titles may not be very descriptive and there is no brief
description of the article (abstract), nor any other clues. However, if you were
to use The New York Times Index, you would find more information about
the content of articles indexed. Here's a citation about the topic
"firearms" in the The New York
Times Index: |
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Included in this
citation is a brief description of the article; also, the page length
(S=short) is also indicated. By reading the brief description and knowing the
length of the article, you can better evaluate whether the article could be
useful or not for your research. However, the brief description may still not
be sufficient--in that case, you'll need to read the full text of the
article by locating the New York Times in a library. No wonder that most
people prefer the extra information provided by online periodical databases,
especially those with full-text articles. But remember, most
periodical databases do not include citations to articles published before
the 1980's, so print periodical indexes are still important. Especially if
there's a long-term power outage! |
1.4. Interpreting and Evaluating Search Results
Interpreting and
Evaluating Search Results
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Learning to interpret and evaluate
the results of your searches is critical to all your research, especially when
you do Web searches. If your search results yield abstracts or the complete
full-text of articles, you have more information than just the components of
the citation to help you evaluate. Study the following
brief citations and see if you can correctly interpret them. They are not
formatted in the MLA citation style. As you will discover, search tools like InfoTrac's databases or a print periodical index use
different citation formats. It's your job to re-format the citations you find
using the MLA format or some other style manual. The first step in
evaluating information is to interpret what type of information you have
found.
1. What type of
information source is this one below on UFOs? Do you think it would provide
you with enough information for a 3-page paper? Elliott, Stuart.
"UFO's: New Evidence from the Desert." Hollywood Weekly News April
1, 2000, p.1. If you think that
this citation is for a periodical article, you're right! It's most
likely a newspaper article. How does one know this? The title has the word
"News" and the publication date is a specific day, suggesting a
newspaper (books aren't published with a month or day; only a year date). No, a single article on "new
evidence" is not likely to give you enough information for a 3-page paper.
You might also question the source Hollywood Weekly News. Would it be
likely to contain good quality information? 2. Does this next
citation refer to a a
popular magazine article or a more academic, research-oriented journal
article? Would it be useful for your speech on the most recent cancer
research findings? Cancer Research
Gaining Ground. J.M. Ronney. J. of Radiology
v120 p88-94 Sept. 95. Expanded Academic ASAP InfoTrac.
http://www.web5.infotrac.galegroup.com. If you responded that
this is a scholarly journal, you are right because the article is in the Journal
of Radiology, but the date is September 1995, making the information too
old for "recent" research. Many periodical indexes abbreviate parts
of the citation. Notice that the periodical title is abbreviated J. of
Radiology. The "J" is for "Journal." 2. Does this last
citation refer to a periodical article, a full-length book or a chapter in a
book? Does the publisher have a reputation for accuracy and thoroughness? Rawls, John.
"Justice and Equality," In Equality. Ed. Louis P. Pojman and R.M. Westmoreland. If you responded
"a chapter in a book," you are right. Three clues: first, there are
two editors of the book; second, you see the word "In" which tells you that
the chapter "Justice and Equality" is in the book. Third, the
appearance of a place of publication and the name of a publisher confirms
this is a book. (Periodical citations NEVER have a place of publication or a publisher.)
Yes, the book is likely to be good quality and reliable because the publisher
is a well known university press. Even at the level of
a brief citation, you can see that interpreting the type of information and
noticing the date gives you valuable clues about the usefulness of sources
for your research needs. What other features should be considered when
evaluating the full-text of information sources? The next topic for this
Lesson will answer the question. |
1.5. Evaluating Information Sources
Evaluating Information
Sources
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What comes to your
mind when you think about evaluating your sources of information? Certainly
you will always use the requirements of the assignment, which might tell you
such things as: ·
"Use at least 5 different information sources, including
scholarly periodical articles " ·
"Don't use information found with Web search engines."
·
"Make sure your information is of good quality and
current." You know how to
determine if the information is current enough for your needs, but how do you
know if the periodical articles you have found are sufficient,
are of good quality and contain useful and accurate information? Here are some
questions to help you evaluate all information sources: ·
Is the information comprehensive enough for your needs? ·
Does the information express a particular point of view or
bias?
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Who is the audience? general or
professional/technical? ·
Is the date of the information suitable for your needs? Do you, perhaps,
need information that was published at an earlier time period? ·
Is the information reliable? Does the author or creator of the
information have appropriate credentials or experience to produce this
information? If you aren't sure, is there a way to find out? ·
Is the information accurate? Is it presented as fact and if so, can it
be verified in another source? So now that you have
some questions to consider when evaluating information sources, what are some
clues and tips to help you answer these questions? Tips for Evaluating
Periodical Articles ·
Decide if the article(s) provide you with enough information to
cover your topic and meet your assignment's requirements. ·
Notice if the article is from a popular magazine written for a
general audience or from a scholarly, research-oriented journal, or from a
newspaper. If you don't know how to tell whether a periodical is scholarly or
popular, click on this link What's the Difference Between Popular Magazines and Scholarly
Journals? ·
Decide if the information is presented objectively with evidence
for claims and statements made, or whether it is primarily opinions to
support a particular point of view. ·
Examine the periodical issue, if possible, to see if there is
information about the author or about the publisher of the periodical. Can
you tell if the author or publisher has a particular perspective or bias? ·
Notice if footnotes and/or a "Sources Cited" list are
included. These references can tell you more about where the author got
his/her information. ·
Determine if the information is complete or has been summarized
by someone else. ·
Check with the reference librarian to find out ways to learn
more about the author's qualifications and the credibility of the publisher. Connect to the CSU
Cal-Poly online tutorial to learn more about evaluating your information
sources. Evaluating
Information Sources |
1.6. Citing Periodical Articles
Citing Periodical
Articles
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An important part of
writing papers is documenting the sources you used, especially text
that you quote or paraphrase and ideas that you borrow from your readings. If you do not cite
your sources you could be plagiarizing. You learned about this issue
in Lesson 3. The purpose of using
a standard citation style, like the MLA style, is for your reader to
be able to evaluate your sources at a glance and to be able to locate them,
if desired. What are the Basic
Components of Periodical Citations? the author, or
authors of the article if they are indicated In addition to these
basic components, if you use an electronic copy of the periodical article from a
periodical database, you must include other components. Here's an example of
a magazine article citation from the Business Index database. |
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Note that no author
is listed, so your citation will begin with the title. Also notice
that the article is "brief." Although you do not include this
information in the citation, it is helpful for you to know when you are
evaluating the usefulness of the article. Here's how this
citation looks in the MLA format that you must use for this course. Notice
the additional components because this is an electronic copy of the article.
**every line after the
first line is indented. Nearly every student misses points on the tests in this
course because they forget to indent the second and third lines of the MLA
format, or they forget to put a final period. **the title of the
periodical and the name of the database are in italics. Of course, when you
are using a pen or pencil to write citations, you will underline
these. ** April is abbreviated to Apr. The MLA
citation format requires abbreviating these months: Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. Aug.
Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. MLA uses a slightly
different citation format if your article is from a scholarly journal.
Luckily, you NEVER have to memorize these. You can refer to the examples of
correct MLA formats in the online "Course Resources" folder. |
