Searching Journals
Journals are a valuable source of research data. Most journals are peer-reviewed before they are published, and are checked for validity and accuracy by subject specialists. Many databases of journals are available online. Here are a few examples:
There are many more online databases of journals available. See if you can find one that is relevant to you. Many online databases of journals reference a huge range of journals. They can offer users various search options; for instance easy search or a full search. Easy search can allow you to search for a limited number of articles on a specific topic, person, or address. Full search can allow you to search by bibliographic information (topic, author, source).
It is worth searching for a number of different keywords (topic, dates, authors) when you are trying to find useful information. The more information you can find the more thorough your research will be.
Example
Kate starts with an easy search to see if there is any relevant information in the database. She limits the search to the social sciences or arts and humanities journals. Search terms of Elizabeth I - returns 315 matches. Many of these look useful but there are too many to work through.
Kate decides to complete a full search so that she can narrow down the results. Full search lets you search on topic, author, source title. You can also use Boolean Operators to refine your search parameters. This should help Kate find the information she is looking for.
Kate is not sure what kind of academic research has been done in this area. She has heard of Professor David Starkey, from his books and recent television series 'Elizabeth'. She wants to find out more information on him and his work and is also interested in other academics' work to see if Starkey's view of Elizabeth is a common one. Kate searches for David Starkey and another well-known historian John Guy. Some of the results are relevant to Kate's work. She records them in her logbook.
Further Work
Access a journal database. Choose a topic that is of interest to you. Can you find some information in the database? Refine your search as necessary. Try out all possible search options (redefine keywords, use boolean operators) and see how this changes the results. Remember to read the search help for the database so that you are searching in the correct manner.
|
