Contents:

Periodical Resources
Searching the ORU Journals List
Periodical Jargon
Special Collections
Periodical Formats & Locations
Key Points to Remember About Finding Periodicals

You may wish to browse the latest issue of a publication or find an article in a specific journal. When looking for journals, magazines, and other periodicals, use ORU's Journals List.

The ORU Library catalog lists ONLY periodical titles that are "in-house" (in the library) such as hardcopy (print), microform, and CD-ROM — approximately 3,525 unique periodical titles. However, ORU subscribes to more than 24,000 full text online titles and to search and/or locate those titles you will need to use the Journals List, which also includes the in-house titles.

To find a title, on the ORU Library page click Journals List in the left menu. On the Journals List page, type a keyword to search for a title, or browse the alpha or subject heading lists. Note: Do not use the Journals List to find "article" title.

Many of your research projects will require you to find periodical articles or you may want to browse the latest issue of your favorite periodical. The word periodical simply means journal, magazine, newspaper, or other publication that comes out on a regular or periodic rate.

Periodical — generic name for journal, magazine, newspaper, or other publication that comes out on a regular or periodic rate.

• Magazine — contains articles of interest to the public.
  Examples: Newsweek, Bride, Nature, Consumer Reports, and Money. 
• Journal — contains scholarly articles written by experts concerning research in professional and academic fields.
  Peer reviewed means experts in the field evaluated the validity of an article before publication.
  Refereed refers to journals or articles that are peer reviewed.
  Examples: Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare and Asbury Theological Journal.
• Trade Publications — directed toward a particular discipline or subject. May include popular topics, scholarly articles, seminar and conference information, etc. Example: Library Journal

Index

• Similar to the index of a book; points you to where the information you are looking for can be found.
• Indexes list citations to articles on selected subject or topics, under various categories such as author, title, and keyword.
• All indexes contain citations, most provide abstracts, and many electronic indexes have full text.
• Although there are print indexes, most periodical indexes are electronic databases: online or CD-ROM.

• Necessary to find the article.
• Usually includes: author, article title, periodical title, volume, issue, date, and page number(s).
• You need this information when you cite the article. For electronic resources (databases) you will need additional information when writing a citation.

Abstracts — brief summaries of the article that are included in most indexes.

Full text — refers to the complete article; most often one that is available in electronic format.

Periodicals that are shelved in a special collection, such as those in the Holy Spirit Research Center, will have an abbreviated location code in the catalog record.

Library Code		Special Collections in the ORU Library
HSRC	=	Holy Spirit Research Center, 5th floor
LRC-P	=	Periodicals/Microform (newspapers, magazines, etc.), 4th floor
LRC-REF, LRC-R	=	Reference Room, 4th floor
THE-LAS	=	LaSor Collection, 4th floor (Go to the Circulation Desk for assistance.)
TBM	=	Timko Barton Listening Room

In the Library, the Periodicals Area and Electronic Resources Center on the 4th floor are the primary locations for accessing periodicals.

	Current Issues	Arranged alphabetically by title in the bins along the wall.
	Bound Volumes	Arranged by call number on the stacks in the Periodicals area.
	Microfilm — A strip of film wound on a spool that contains journal or magazine articles.	Arranged by call number (then issue dates) in the file cabinets along the wall. Special microform readers are available in the ERC to review articles and print. cabinets.
Database — a resource of information, CD-ROM or online, that includes indexes and citations but may also include abstracts and full text.
	CD-ROM	Available on designated computers in the Periodicals area
	Full Text Online	Available on any computer with Internet access when you are logged in with your Novell login.

	Select relevant subject and multidisciplinary databases to search.
	Some databases include full text while others may include only citations and abstracts.
	Not all articles are available full text online.
	If you locate an article that is not full text online (HTML, PDF, etc.) in the database you are using, click the 'Check for full text' link (or similar link) to see if the article is available full text in another database or elsewhere in the Library.
	If the article is not available at ORU, you may request it through the online Interlibrary Loan (ILL) link in the database or use ORU's online ILL form.

If you need assistance searching the Journals List, accessing periodicals, or using microform and CD-ROM resources in the library, help is available at the Reference Desk, LRC-4th floor. You may also call the Reference Desk at (918) 495-6887 or email a Librarian.