Periodicals subcribed to or titles where articles may be accessed via the library's databases: Click on hyperlink:
1) Determine the Key concepts of your topic
2) Define your key words / search terms
3) Choose your databases and resources
4) Formulate the search statement
5) Refine and focus your results
6) Evaluate and manage the results
7) Locate the full articles
Keyword Searching:
Skip the words "a" "of" and "the"
Single key word, e.g. Transfiguration
Phrase search - when two or more terms are always used together, put them in quotes e.g. "New Testament"
Very broad term = a single term, e.g. Scriptures
Broader yet = add the term "or" between synonyms, e.g., Scriptures or Bible
More refined = add the term "and" between terms to focus your topic, e.g. Gospel and Luke and Emmaus
More refined = use "not", e.g., Mary not Magdalene
Periodicals are useful for three primary reasons: they...
- provide a wealth of valuable information that is current and timely
- contain the latest discussions on a topic
- cover topics not yet published in book form
Periodicals are created for different audiences. Some are for general readers and others for scholars and researchers.
Although the terms periodical, journal, serial and magazine have slightly different definitions, you will likely hear them used interchangeably. These are works that come out on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, annually) and contain articles written by various authors.