Journals Explained
If you are looking to access specific databases in our collections, then please go to the Library Catalogue
Scholarly journals typically contain articles written by academics or professional researchers and are aimed at academic audiences. Peer reviewed journals contain articles which have been reviewed and approved by recognised experts in particular subject areas.
Scholarly journal articles are valuable sources of information for students and researchers. Articles in journals can cover very specific topics or narrow fields of research. They usually contain in-depth information and analysis of particular aspects of subjects.
Researchers often publish review papers. Review papers or articles present a comprehensive review of the existing body of knowledge in a specific subject or topic. Review papers can be very useful for locating the core literature in a particular subject area. Some journal databases give the option to refine your search by 'Review Papers'.
The Library provides you with access to over 30,000 scholarly journals, both online and in print.
- Search for a journal - simply type the name of the journal you want to read into the search box, e.g. Journal of Biological Chemistry
- Search for a specific journal article - choose 'Including Articles' from the drop down box beside the search box, and type in whatever information you have about the article, e.g. author name, article name, journal title.
How to find a journal title or journal article
The Library subscribes to thousands of scholarly journals. You can search the library catalogue for specific journal titles. The catalogue will give you the shelf location of print titles or a link to the electronic version.
If you are looking for a specific journal article, you should choose 'Including Articles' from the drop down menu beside the search box on the Library Catalogue. Now enter as much information as you have about the article: author, article title, journal title, etc. This will search across many of our electronic journals. It won't however search across our print journals or some electronic journals. So, if you don't find the article you need try searching for the Journal title where the article appears, not the title of the article itself. See the example below:
Once you locate the journal title you can then find the particular year and volume which has the article you require.
If you are looking for any articles on a particular subject, you can use one of the library databases.
- For Search Tips see our Your Literature Search: A Step by Step Guide
Citation Tracking
Tracking down journal articles which are cited or referred to in papers which you have identified as being relevant to your research is a useful way of locating articles related to your research. Once you have identified relevant papers in a search, many databases give you the option to link to or find ‘Citing Papers’, those that cite the paper you have found, which are also likely to be relevant.
- Google Scholar can also be used to find specific scholarly articles.
- Get training to learn more about finding relevant scholarly journal articles.
