Find Online Journal Articles
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Introduction to Periodicals
Academic journals, popular magazines, and news articles are collectively called periodicals because they are published on a periodic basis: a daily newspaper, a monthly magazine, or a quarterly journal.
Mookini Library has no current subscriptions to print journals, magazines, or newspapers. Previous issues of print periodicals are available in the Periodical Backfiles room on the 3rd floor (Upper Level). When this floor is closed, materials can be requested from the Circulation Desk near the Main Entrance.
How Do I Find Articles?
Articles are found by searching in online databases, which are large collections of academic journals, popular magazines, and / or news articles. Some collections are general and cover a wide range of topics while other databases specialize in narrower subject areas.
Unlike Google, journal article databases work best with keywords, not sentences, so instead of “How does nutrition impact a person’s health and weight?” use just the big idea words nutrition health weight in the search box.
If you are having trouble finding articles on your topic, check out the Searching Techniques page and some of our Mookini Library Video Tutorials. Database Tutorials and Help are also available for specific databases.
When you find a good article on your topic, remember to check the References list at the end for other articles on that topic.
Searching for Articles
From the library's home page or Research page select the link for your campus.
- Databases – A-Z list: when you know the name of the database you want.
- Databases – Subject Areas list: collections of journals that focus on particular subjects.
- Remember to try databases listed under “General Resources” as well as related subject areas, like Biology for Marine Science, Psychology for Sociology, etc.
Not Sure Where to Start?
- Academic Search Complete – the best place to start for almost any topic; includes magazine, scholarly academic, and newspaper articles.
- ScienceDirect – Great for science subjects, but doesn’t just have science articles, so be sure to try it for other subject areas, too.
- JSTOR – doesn’t have a lot of current content (last 5 years) but has articles back to the 1700s for some subject areas. Great for historical research.
- Access World News – newspapers and other news sources from around the world, including Hawaiʻi newspapers. Great for very current topics.
Search both Academic Search Complete and ScienceDirect, then choose JSTOR or Access World News according to how current your topic is.
Scholarly Journal or Magazine?
To understand the difference between a magazine and an academic journal, check out the “Scholarly Journals vs. Magazines” page.
Where Is the Article?
The great thing about online databases is that usually you can start reading the article right away. Look for a .html or .pdf link. Always use a .pdf if it’s available since it will show the page numbers from the printed version of the article.
If the article isn’t available in the database you’re searching in, look for a link labeled “Find It” or “Find It @ Mookini” that will check if that article is available in another database.
- If so, you’ll be taken right to it.
- If not, you can submit a Loans from Other Libraries request. Watch a short video about Loans.
If the library has the article in print, it’s probably located in the Periodical Backfiles Room on the 3rd floor (Upper Level). However, some articles on Hawaiian topics are located in the Hawaiian Collection on the 2nd floor (Main Level). It is important to check the Location and Call Number listing in LibCat for the print title. If a floor or collection is closed, materials can be requested from the Circulation Desk near the Main Entrance.