Typical questions

• • I have found over 5,000 articles. What should I do to narrow my search?

• • Has this author written any other articles?

Starting points

• • Most students will have used the internet for research, however they may be unaware of other sources where references to academic journal articles may be found. This section introduces some good general services that are available in many academic libraries. Examples of specialist databases are provided in all the subject sections. The Literature Searching chapter provides more detail on effective search techniques.

• • It is often advisable to search more than one database as coverage of the journals indexed may differ.

• • Check whether journal articles are indexed on your local library catalogue. In some cases, not all databases are included due to technical or supplier issues. In this circumstance, students relying simply on a catalogue search may not retrieve all the materials and they should be advised to search the database via its native interface. This approach is also recommended for advanced researchers as native interfaces usually have more sophisticated search screens.

• • Students often need help choosing which journal index to use. Many may be confused about the difference between journal indexing and abstracting services and e-journal databases. It may seem as if databases that offer full text e-journals must be better. However, many abstract indexes cover a wider range of titles. Many libraries have also implemented a facility that links them directly to their e-journal holdings so that full text articles can be downloaded immediately.

• • A final point to note is that students frequently need advice on how to access the full text of the articles they find. It is common for them to assume that all the items must be online. They may also have followed links that have taken them away from the subscription database. Advice should be given on how to doublecheck paper and e-journals holdings in the local library catalogue, how to search for the existence of journals in other local libraries (see the Library Catalogues chapter) and how to request interlibrary loans.