Finding Journal Articles Step-by-Step

Once you have chosen a topic for a term paper you will need to find existing information that will support your thesis statement. Articles are useful because they are up-to-date and usually on a very specific topic.

1. Choosing Article Databases

The easiest way to find journal, newspaper, and magazine articles on any subject is to use an online article database. WSU Libraries have many of these databases. Below are 3 options for viewing our databases:

Databases by Subject

All Databases (Alphabetic List)

Each of the General Topic databases have articles in almost every discipline or topic. They are a good place to start, especially for lower-division classes.

Remember that the list of Databases by Subject will not be a list of term paper subjects/topics, but a list of disciplines. Start by clicking on the discipline of the class you are taking; for example, if you are writing a paper on deviant behavior for a sociology class, click on the Sociology link to see the article databases that are best for sociology.

2. Searching Article Databases

Enter important keywords that describe your topic like this:

"deviant behavior" and adolescents

NOT like this:

adolescents/teenagers who exhibit deviant behavior

Here is an example of a search in the database SocINDEX (sociology articles):

You'll get a list of articles containing your keywords. Remember that you may have to think of different words to describe your topic or rearrange them in the search box because someone else may describe your topic differently in their article title or abstract.

When you see an article that looks helpful, click on the title to get more information on how to access it. If you're searching a databases with full text articles, you may be able to print out the article and be done! If you're searching a database with Find It, see Step 3.

3. Getting the Article

If you don't see a full text link but you do see this icon or the phrase Find a copy, click on it because if we have full text access you get to it by clicking these links. A new window will open when you click on these.

If we have access to the full text article, there will be a link to it highlighted in yellow, like this:

If we don't have access to the full text, you look inside the information window for the View details in the Wright State University library catalog link, like this:

After you click the link a window in our catalog will open, telling you whether we have the journal in print or whether we don't have it at all. Here is what a journal title entry in our catalog looks like:

If the journal is not available online, you will have to photocopy the print version. The first thing you want to check is whether WSU has the volume and issue of the journal that your article is in. You do that by looking at the information in the top half of the Find It window and noting the volume/year and issue number. You then look at the information across from the Lib. Has to see if we have the volume you need. If it is a very recent volume/issue--within a year or so--you would click on the Latest Received link to see if we have it.

You will also want to write down the location and the call number so that you know where to go to find the journal your article is in.

Bound journals--the ones across from Lib. Has--are on the 2nd floor of the Dunbar Library near Current Periodicals and Media (where they are shelved by call number) and on the 2nd floor of Fordham Library (where they are shelved by alphabetically by title).

Current periodicals--the ones across from Latest Received--are on the 2nd floor of Dunbar Library in Current Periodicals and on the 1st floor of Fordham Library. They are shelved alphabetically by title.

Do you have more questions? Ask a Librarian!

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