STEP 4: Find Articles and Other Sources on Your Topic
Start with one of our multidisciplinary databases:
These databases cover most subjects. They contain thousands of full-text articles from journals, magazines and newspapers, in addition to indexing and abstracting coverage of thousands more. Coverage often goes back to the mid-1980s. Searches can be limited to articles that are available online in full-text. Searches can also be limited to peer-reviewed journals.
Tip: Use the E-Journal Portal and/or Citation Linker if you want to know if articles from a specific journal, magazine or newspaper are available online or if you already have a citation for a specific article from a specific journal and you want to find it online. If the periodical is available on the web, a link to the e-journal site or database in which it is contained will be provided, along with information about the dates of coverage. Citation Linker also includes links to the Joyner and Laupus Library catalogs so that you can see if the periodical you need is available in print at either library. Click on the name of the library whose catalog you want to search. Need more information about searching for periodicals in the library catalog? Check these tips.
What if you can't find enough information in EBSCOhost and ProQuest?
What if you need historical research? Don't worry: Joyner Library offers about 200 databases. Go to the Databases list and look at the descriptions of databases listed under the heading "Multidisciplinary Databases". Also, look under the heading for your subject. JSTOR, for example, is an excellent source for finding older articles from over 200 journals in the humanities, social sciences, ecology and mathematics. LexisNexis Academic is also a good source for full-text information. Use the library's own customizable subject guide, Pirate Source, to find the best databases for a particular subject and to find other high-quality reference materials. Or, ask a Reference Librarian for advice, in person at the Reference Desk, by IM to JoynerRef, by telephone at 328-6677, or through our Ask a Reference Librarian web form. And, don't forget, there are still some indexes that are only available in print. Reference librarians will be happy to help you identify and get started using the appropriate index or database.
Search Tips:
What if you need other types of sources?
The world is your oyster! Using the Internet, you can find all kinds of information, ranging from the absurd to the sublime. The Virtual Reference Desk is one good place to start looking for sites useful for academic research. Materials on the Internet particularly relevant for academic research include government documents (reports, white papers, budgets, legislation, etc.), economic and statistical data, association publications (articles, industry data), reports and issue papers from think tanks and interest groups, country and company information, and primary source information from sites like the Library of Congress's American Memory Project.
Joyner Library also has many primary source documents. The Government Documents Department, in the basement of Joyner Library, contains primary source materials from federal government departments and agencies, such as laws, regulations, statistical reports, maps, and Congressional committee hearings. The North Carolina Collection, on the third floor of the library, contains primary sources such as census records, old newspapers, maps, state government documents, and published papers of notable North Carolinians. The Special Collections Department, on the fourth floor of the library, includes an extensive manuscript collection with photographs that relate to those collections, oral history memoirs and organization records as well as materials from the East Carolina University Archives including annuals, course guides, photographs, publications and information from the beginning of the University.
