The Research Process: 2c. Find Articles

The Columbus State Library now has a new way to search for sources! The new integrated search platform allows users to find books, eBooks, academic articles, newspaper articles, and more—all in one place! This search bar can be accessed from the library's homepage near the top of the page. It is a great place to begin doing research!

After you do your initial searching in the discovery platform, you may find it helpful to use subject-specific databases to dig deeper into your topic. Below are some subject-specific databases to try out!

When searching in a database, you can limit your results to Full-Text so that you can ensure that every result you discover will have access to the entire article. 

Depending on the database, articles may be displayed in these formats:

• Index: Includes only the article’s citation information (e.g. author, title, date, volume, etc.). Neither a summary, nor the full-text of the article are available.
• Abstract: Includes the article’s citation information and a brief summary of the article's content. Abstracts do not include the full-text article.
• Full-text: Includes an electronic copy of the actual article. Depending on the database, the article may be available in HTML format, .pdf format (displays the article as it originally appeared in the magazine with graphics and pictures), or both.

Article databases provide you with 24-7 access to magazine, journal, and newspaper articles via the Internet. To help you identify the most appropriate database for your topic/subject:

• Consult the descriptions on the Library's Databases page
• Check to see if there is a Research Guide that covers your subject area or topic.

Staring your search with Academic Search Complete (which can be found at the top of the Databases page) is also a good idea, as this database covers all academic areas of study!

The eResources Search is a list of journals/magazines whose full text can be found online in databases. Use the eResources Search tool if you're looking for a specific journal and want to know if it's available online.

Print periodicals are newspapers, magazines, and journals. You can see the library's print periodicals collection online.

The library's collection of print periodicals can be found on the Third Floor of the Columbus campus library next to the Periodicals Desk.