YCCC: Library Instruction: Finding Articles

Using Articles - Interacting with Information

Use a Magazine:

to find information or opinions about popular culture
to find up-to-date information about current events
to find general articles written for people who are not necessarily specialists in the topic area

Use a Journal:

when doing scholarly research or when your instructor requires it (see Scholarly vs Popular or What is a Scholarly Article?)
to find out what has been studied on your topic
to find bibliographies that point to other relevant research

Use a Newspaper:

Article Databases A to Z
We recommend starting with Academic Search Complete.

You'll need YCCC Quick Access login and password to access the Library's online resources from off-campus. Use the Ask Us tab to request the info.
Google Scholar
A simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. Beware not everything is available full-text.

Abstract: A brief summary of an article. The abstract for a scholarly article will summarize the authors' research purpose, methods, and conclusions.
Database: A collection of information, usually electronic. Usually refers to a place you can search for articles in onlinr journals and magazines. An example of a YCCC database would be: Academic Search Complete.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL): A library service that allows you to request books and articles from other libraries.
Peer Review (Refereed): Articles published in peer reviewed journals have been reviewed and edited by a board of expert editors.
Scholarly Source: Scholarly sources ask and answer questions through some form of analysis. Scholarly sources are written by experts in the field. Scholarly sources also have a works cited/references list to show where their information came from originally.