How to Find Articles

How to Find Articles Instructions Summary

Finding Articles on Course Reserve
Finding Specific Articles
Finding Articles on a Topic
Getting Articles from other Libraries

Straight to the answers:

My professor said the articles are on course reserve. Where do I go?
I’ve got a list of articles I need to read . . . what do I do next?
I need to find articles for my project and I don’t know where to start!
I already did a search and UBC Library doesn’t have it. What can I do now?

Save yourself hours of unsuccessful searching!

Remember:

You CAN find hundreds of thousands of articles through the UBC Library Web. more »
UBC Library subscribes to tens of thousands of magazines, journals and newspapers, in print and in full text online. The UBC Library Catalogue DOES NOT list individual articles by topic. more »
To search for articles by topic, you need to start your search in an index or database. (Instructions follow.) Like the catalogues of most libraries in the world, UBC Library’s catalogue does not contain a listing for each article in each journal in its collection. Search engines like Google DO NOT retrieve most academic articles. But... more »
Google Scholar (Beta) has begun to reach some academic journals and online archives, but for now, Indexes and Databases are the most complete searchable lists of articles.

Most academic and publicly-funded researchers publish the results of their research in scholarly journals or in online archives, which search engines don’t reach. Most popular magazines do not provide their content for free on the Web.

Newspaper articles have a different search guide (right here).

Q: My prof said the article is on course reserve. Where do I go?

A: Course Reserve

Wheelis M. Dando M. Back to bioweapons? Bull At Sci Jan/Feb 2003. 59:40

If you have a citation like this from a course reading list and your instructor has indicated that it is on short-term loan in Course Reserve, follow these steps to get the article:

1. Go to the Library Home Page at www.library.ubc.ca
2. Choose CATALOGUE from the top navigation bar
3. Choose the Course Reserve tab
4. Use the drop down menus to search by course, instructor, section or any combination
5. Select your course
6. Scroll through the list of items on reserve for that course until you find the article.
7. Note the call number, and library location, e. g. ANTH407 Koerner Library
8. Go to the library and read or photocopy the article. Articles on course reserve are in file folders in the course reserve section of each library.

Q: Help! I’ve got a list of articles I need to read . . . what do I do next?

A: Find a Specific Article

Slayton, Rebecca. Speaking as scientists: computer professionals in the star wars debate. History & Technology, 2003, Vol. 19:4, p. 335

If you have a citation like this from the bibliography at the back of a book, or from an article, course notes, internet search, etc. follow these steps:

1. Confirm that it is a citation to an article:
Make sure that it includes:
- Article Title: Speaking as scientists: computer professionals in the star wars debate.
- Journal Title : History and Technology
- Volume : 99
- Issue : 4
- Page : 335-

2. If your citation has an abbreviated title (e.g., Bull at Sci, J. Appl. Econom), follow the instructions below to find the full title.

3. Once you know the full title of the journal,

Do a Quick Catalogue Search:

Finds print and electronic journals. Many pre-1990 articles are available in print only.

1. From the Library Home page at www.library.ubc.ca, choose Find . . .

2. In the Quick Catalogue Search box, enter the full journal title, History and technology

3. Choose the JOURNAL / Ejournal Title radio button

4. Click Go! to start the search

-- or --

Do an eLink Citation Linker Search:

Finds online journals only

1. From the Library Home Page at www.library.ubc.ca, choose Find . . .

2. In the Books or Journals … section, select Try eLink Citation Linker to get to the UBC eLink Citation Linker page.

3. Enter the required fields, Journal Title or Abbreviation, and year. i.e. enter "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" and 2003

4. Click to start the search

(If an abbreviated title retrieves no results, search again with the full title.)

Q: I need to find articles for my project and I don’t know where to start!

A: Find Articles by Topic or Subject

Article Indexes & Databases contain references (citations) to articles in scholarly journals, popular magazines, newspapers, conference proceedings, etc., and in some cases, to chapters of books.

Some indexes include the full text of some or all the articles they index. Others have no full text, but give information on where the article can be found: which volume, issue and page of a journal/magazine/newspaper etc.

Indexes and databases are provided commercially and not specifically tailored for the UBC Library; you will find references to articles not in the UBC Library's print or electronic collections.

Example Search Topic: Youth and Voting

1. Choose an Article Index or Database
- Go to the Library Home Page: www.library.ubc.ca
- Choose Resources by Subject
- Choose the general subject area, e.g. Arts (Humanities and Social Sciences)
- (Choose a sub-area if necessary, e.g. Political Science)
- From the Information Resources page, choose one of the items in the Indexes section, e.g. International Political Science Abstracts

2. Connect to the index
- Follow the top link, e.g. International Political Science Abstracts or Connect via the Web, to connect.
- If the next screen offers a list of indexes, select the index(es) you want to search.

3. Search the index
- Enter keyword(s) for your subject area: voting and youth
- Start the search

4. Get the article
- Look for terms like Link to full text, HTML full text, PDF full text. These mean that the full text of an article is included in the index/database.
Follow the links to the full text option of your choice. Note that PDF files are large but handle graphical material very well.

If there are no direct links to full text, choose (in some databases, UBC eLink)

Click on . This searches behind the scenes for full text in other indexes and databases.

The UBC eLinks for this Citation window opens up:

If full text is available online,

• follow the GO button to the article.

If full text is not immediately available online,

• Click on "UBC Library Journal/Ejournal Search" link and/or "GO" button.
You’ll see a listing of UBC Library’s print holdings of the journal, if available.

Q: I already did a search, and UBC Library doesn’t have it.

A: Save or print the citation to the article, then try one of the following:

Request InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
- Library staff search catalogues of other libraries to find the article you need and request that a copy be sent to UBC Library for you to pick up. This service is free to UBC students, faculty or staff for academic research materials. Place a request at http://www.library.ubc.ca/home/orderdel.html.

-- or --

Visit a local library that has a copy
- Search ELN Serials, a catalogue of journals, newspapers, and magazines in BC Libraries, at http://toby.library.ubc.ca/resources/infopage.cfm?id=201
- Visit the library that has the article you need. Most libraries do not permit anyone to check out journals, magazines or newspapers.

Finding the Full Title of a Journal:

You need to enter the full title of a journal in a JOURNAL / Ejournal Title search. Abbreviations do not work.
To find a full title, from the UBC Library homepage at www.library.ubc.ca, choose Find. On the Find page, choose Genamics JournalSeek or All That JAS.

Back to Find a Specific Article instructions

Last modified: Jan 28, 11

The University of British Columbia