What is a periodical?

Anything that is published at regular intervals throughout the year such as a magazine, journal, or newspaper:

• Magazine: A magazine is a collection of articles and images about diverse topics of popular interest and current events. Usually these articles are written by journalists or scholars and are geared toward the average adult.
• Journal: A journal is a collection of articles usually written by scholars in an academic or professional field. An editorial board reviews articles to decide whether they should be accepted.
• Newspaper: A newspaper is a collection of articles about current events usually published daily. Since there is at least one in every city, it is a great source for local information.

What is a "popular" article vs. a "scholarly" article?

There are many differences between popular and scholarly magazine and journal articles. To help you determine whether a magazine or journal article is popular or scholarly, take a look at the following guide: Popular vs. Scholarly Periodicals.

How do I find periodical articles on my research topic?

Using a periodical index such as ProQuest or WilsonSelectPlus.

What is a periodical index?

A periodical index contains the citations of articles in magazines, journals and newspapers. Some periodical indexes contain abstracts or brief summaries of the articles. A few contain the full text or entire content of whole articles as they originally appeared in the periodical. There are hundreds of different periodical indexes designed for different purposes and areas of study.

• MSU Libraries' Periodical Indexes

There are so many periodical indexes, how do I know which one to use?

Try these Getting Started pages. They highlight some of the most useful indexes to use, according to area of study. There are a few suggested general indexes listed below that are good to use when first starting your research.

ProQuest Research Library
ProQuest Research Library provides access to the citations of articles (and in many cases, the full-text of articles) in a wide range of subject areas. Coverage includes the following: Arts, Business, Children, Education, General Interest, Health, Humanities, International, Law, Military, Multicultural, Psychology, Sciences, Social Sciences, and Women's Interests.

Expanded Academic ASAP (1980-present)
Provides access to the citations of articles (and in many cases, the full-text of articles) in a wide variety of disciplines including the social sciences, humanities, science and technology, national news, and general interest.

WilsonSelectPlus (1994-present)
Provides access to the full text of journal and magazine articles in a variety of disciplines, including art, education, health, business, general sciences, and many areas of general interest.

Need only scholarly articles? For examples of how to limit your search results to find only scholarly articles in specific indexes, see Research and Scholarly Journal Information.

Need help choosing keywords and searching indexes? Try Database/Index FAQs and Searching Tips.

I searched an index but the articles were not all available there in electronic full text. I have my citations, so where are the articles?

To find articles that are not displayed in full text from within the the index that you searched, you will need to do a "Title" search for that periodical in MAGIC, the MSU Libraries' online catalog. The results will begin to tell you whether or not the library subscribes to the journal and has the issue that you need, in a print or digital format. You do this by searching the name or title of the journal, not the title of the article.

I found the journal listed in MAGIC, so how do I know if you have the issue that I need?

Look at the MAGIC record. You will see a section labelled "LIBRARY HAS" showing the range of volumes / issues and years available in the MSU Libraries. You will also see the call number and a location (such as the "Main Library" stacks or a branch library). If we have access to an online version, there may be a hot link.

Where can I find print journals, magazines, and newspapers?

Current issues of many magazines, journals and newspapers are arranged alphabetically by title in the Periodical Room on 2-West in the Main Library. Some may be found in the branch libraries. Earlier issues of journals and magazines typically are bound and shelved in the stacks (with books on the same subjects) by call number.

I didn't find the name of the journal I need in MAGIC, so where else can I look?

Check the MSU Libraries' Electronic Journals page. Type the title of the journal into the search box. If you find a listing for the journal, click on "connect" to reach an online version of that journal (in some cases, the online version may be limited to the table of contents, especially for early years).

What if I can't find the name of the journal on the Electronic Journals page?

Check our Supplementary List of Full Text Electronic Resources. You can use this tool to see if articles from the journal are reprinted in some of our "aggregated" databases, such as ProQuest or Lexis-Nexis.

What if I still don't see the name of my journal?

If the MSU Libraries do not have electronic or print access to the journal you need, you can ask the library to request a copy of an article from another library, free of charge. To make requests from another library, please see Interlibrary Services. Note: you will need the whole citation (author, article title, journal title, volume, date, pages) to complete the necessary request forms.

Don't forget to cite!

Please visit our online Ready Reference collection for links to how to cite your resources using various citation styles such as APA, MLA, and Chicago/Turabian. You will also find helpful links to additional online library resources such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, etc.

Reference, reference, reference…we really are here to help! Believe it or not, librarians really do want to be asked questions at the Reference Desk. If we can provide any further assistance to you in your research, do not hesitate to contact us through the following ways:

• In-person - At the Main Library Reference Desk located on 1-East.
• By phone - 353-8700.
• E-mail reference - Use e-mail to ask factual questions and get research advice.
• Chat reference - Use real-time (chat) software to "Ask a Librarian" Monday-Friday from Noon-4 p.m. when classes are in session.