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How to Find Scholarly and Popular Journal Articles : Article Databases

Find articles using databases

How do I choose the best database for my topic?

Ask yourself ...

  • What level of information do I need? Broad general coverage or in-depth research?
  • What type of publication do I need? Newspapers, magazines, trade publications, scholarly journals, conferences?

If you are unsure where to start, try using the Search @ UW option for an all-purpose search.

Where can I find articles?

  1. Enter your search in the Search@UW box on the Library's Homepage
  2. Your results will include articles from databases. To restrict your results to only peer-reviewed journal articles, do your search and then click on peer reviewed journals
  3. To search only article databases, use the "Find Databases" from the Homepage. Select the desired subject to see the recommended databases.

How do I search a database?

  1. Use keywords or subject headings that describe your topic (you can also use subject headings from sources you successfully find to search for similar sources).
  2. Review the results of your search to see what sources look relevant to your topic.
  3. Depending on your results, determine if a broader or more narrow search is necessary.
  4. If you have too many hits, consider narrowing your topic (i.e., using additional keywords or searching specific fields).
  5. If you have too few hits, broaden your topic or consider alternate keywords.

How do I get an article?

  1. You are likely to find the full-text of an article in most databases.
  2. If you don't, click on the button to see if it links to a full-text version of the article. This button provides direct links to electronic full-text versions of an article (when available).
  3. If no full-text is found, check to see if our library owns the journal (the result screen will take you to this page)
  4. If we don't own the journal, request the article via Interlibrary Loan.