A periodical is the term for something that is published at regular intervals. Examples include a newspaper that is published daily, a magazine that is published weekly, or a journal that is published monthly. The best way to find periodical articles is to search a periodical database. Some databases have a general scope, covering many subject areas, or they may be limited to specific subjects. Sometimes they index specific types of periodicals such as academic journals, popular magazines, or newspapers.
Collection of academic, peer reviewed, research journals as well as some popular magazines.
EBSCOhost's MasterFILE Premier database is designed specifically for public libraries. Indexes primarily popular and news magazines.
BC3 students and employees can sign up for free access to the New York Times through Butler County Community College's NYT Academic Pass Subscription.
Go to http://www.accessnyt.com
Search for Butler County Community College from the list of institutions
You MUST use your BC3 email when setting up your NYT account
You will need to re-register for the NYT annually
The following databases are resources for reports on issue topics that include up-to-date information, history, and visuals.
There are also several databases outside the BC3 Library's subscriptions and internet sources that you can use to find articles. In most cases, the full text of the articles will not be freely available, so you will need to use the library's Document Delivery service to obtain the articles (see Get the Full Text section on this page).
Peer review is a process used by scholarly journals in selecting articles for publication. Before an article is accepted, editors send the manuscript to experts in the subject area to review. The reviewers provide feedback and recommendations for revisions. Based on this information and other criteria, the editor may accept the manuscript for publication, require the author to resubmit the manuscript with revisions, or reject the manuscript.
Peer review adds authority and credibility to your sources and your argument. It means that the editor and reviewers have examined the article's research methodology and approved it for publication.
Scholarly Journals vs Popular Magazines vs Trade/Professional Magazines
Knowing the differences between scholarly journal articles and popular magazine articles can help you to select appropriate articles for your research.
| Criteria | Scholarly Journals | Popular Magazines | Professional/Trade Magazines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authors | Authors are scholars and experts in the field. Authors are always listed as well as their institutional affiliation. Articles are peer reviewed. | Authors are staff writers or free lance writers. May be anonymous, may be trained journalists, and they may not be experts on the topic. | Authors have expertise in a field or industry. No peer review process. |
| Sources | Sources listed in bibliographies and footnotes. | Sources rarely cited. | Sources may be mentioned occasionally. |
| Content | Research articles, which tend to be longer. Language tends to be formal and technical. | Articles are short and of general interest with a focus on current topics. | Articles are fairly short focusing on a specific trade or professional field. Often with an emphasis on current trends and news. |
| Audience and Language | Intended audience is scholars and researchers. | Intended audience is the general public. | Intended audience is professionals within a specific business, industry or field. |
| Appearance and Advertising | Cover and paper is usually plain, rarely glossy. Tends to have a serious look. Minimal advertising. Articles often include graphs. | Catchy titles, attention grabbing covers, glossy paper. Colorful photos and illustrations. Lots of advertising. | Glossy covers, headlines often catchy. Colorful photos and illustrations. Advertising directed at a specific field. |
| Examples | Journal of Communication Studies, Harvard Business Review, New England Journal of Medicine | Sports Illustrated, Health, Business Week, Psychology Today | Parks & Recreation, Nursing Made Incredibly Easy, Professional Surveyor |
If you are viewing an article citation in a database or website, look for a PDF or FULL text icon or link. Pdf is the preferred format over Html (web format) because it will look like the print version and it will usually have pagination, which is helpful for citing.
Search the BC3 Library Catalog by the Journal Title (NOT the article title) to see if we have a subscription to the journal. The catalog will link you to the database or web site if we have online availability. It will also show if there is a print copy in the library.
If the full text is not freely available, you can request articles through the BC3 Library's article delivery service. We will try to get it for you from another library and then email it to you. On average, this will take about a day. If you are using an EBSCOhost database, when viewing the article record, click on the Request Article link.
The following journals will require you to enter your BC3 username and password, same as you use to access the BC3 portal.
BC3 Subscriptions
Open Access and Freely Available