Journals?
Magazines?
Newspapers?
When doing research, it is useful to know what these different publications are and what kind of information they contain.
• Journal articles are more scholarly or professional while magazine articles tend to be shorter and more general.
• Newspaper articles, while not usually scholarly or professional, can give you the most current news and some additional facts on your topic.
Did your professor specify that you need to use a peer reviewed journal?
A library database is both an electronic catalog and the access point to information from published works, such as magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias, journals and other resources.
• Library databases provide access to authoritative information sources.
• Library databases provide access to resources across a wide spectrum of topic and subject areas.
• Library databases provide access to many years worth of published information at no cost to students.
• Library databases give you citation information to help you locate and cite the articles.
• Library databases give you an abstract or summary to tell you what the article is about.
• Most Library databases provide articles in full-text or PDF format.
A special note: For historical research, the Library also has print indexes that must be used to find older articles, generally anything published before 1985.
Finding Articles on Your Topic 
Research on a subject is seldom complete without periodical literature - magazines, journals, and newspapers.
To find articles on your topic, you must use periodical indexes. Indexes provide you with subject access to articles in different magazines, journals, and newspapers. They allow you to search in one place for articles published in many different periodicals or in one particular periodical over many years. A database is an electronic index used for locating articles.
For your research try using one of the online databases listed below. Conduct your search in these databases by using subject headings and keywords similar to those you used to locate books.
To access the databases from off campus you will be prompted to enter your Cerritos College User ID and password.
When searching online and print indexes for articles about the Mendez case try using the following keywords:
When searching for articles to support the second half of you assignment about whether there is still segregation today try:
See the Database Page for a complete description of the Cerritos College Library online resources.
Use the following databases to find articles that are most relevant to your topic. See the Database Page for a complete description of the Cerritos College Library online resources.
Remember:
What is a Scholarly Journal?
Scholarly journals are generally published by and for experts. A publication is considered to be peer reviewed if its articles go through an official editorial process that involves review and approval by the author’s peers (people who are experts in the same subject area.) Articles in scholarly journals present new, previously unpublished research. Scholarly sources will almost always include:
Use scholarly journals for highly focused original research.
Examples: AMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, African American Review, Modern Fiction Studies, American Psychologist and American Sociological Review
What is a Popular Magazine?
Articles in popular magazines tend to be written by staff writers or freelance journalists and are geared towards a general audience. While most magazines adhere to editorial standards, articles do not go through a peer review process and rarely contain bibliographic citations. Popular magazines are periodicals that one typically finds at grocery stores, airport newsstands, or bookstores. Use popular magazines for a general overview of current news and opinions, or firsthand accounts of an event.
Examples: Popular magazines range from highly respected publications such as Scientific American and The Atlantic Monthly to general interest magazines like People, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek and US News & World Report.
What is a Trade Publication?
Trade publications focus on a specific profession or trade. Articles in trade magazines cover the interest of skilled laborers, technicians, and artisans. Professional magazines cover the interests of professors, librarians, and members of other fields that require advanced degrees. Subject magazines cover a topic of interest to one or more professions. Use trade magazines for overviews of news and research in a particular field.
Examples: Legal Assistant Today and Library Journal