Journals are publications that are published on a regular and ongoing basis, for example, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. They contain a selection of articles in a subject area by different authors. These articles are known as journal articles. Academic journal articles are written by researchers and their articles are reviewed by other experts in the same subject area, in a process called peer-review. Peer-reviewed journal articles are considered to be the best quality journal articles available. Journal articles are the best place to find the most recent research on a topic.
A database is an electronic collection of information stored in a computer program that enables you to find information from the database in different ways. Databases in the library can contain journal articles, newspaper articles, specialist information or a combination of different information resources. Databases can be multi-disciplinary or subject specific.
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This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new windowIf you are looking for a particular journal title then click 'FIND JOURNALS' at the top of FIND it to search/browse an A-Z list. When you find the journal you want, click on the title to see all relevant information for that title.
The 'View Online' section will provide you with links to the journal and information about which date range USW has access to.
Here are some examples of eJournals you may find useful:
Here is an example of a printed journal you may find useful:
Search the archives of UK national and local newspapers by using any of the following resources:
LexisLibrary
European Newsstream
What is Google Scholar?
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. In Scholar you can search across many disciplines and sources, including journal articles, theses, books and abstracts, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites.
How is it different from Google?
Google has a broader scope than Google Scholar and looks for resources regardless of where they come from and who they are written by. Instead of searching the entire web, Google Scholar just searches for scholarly literature. This means you will get far more relevant, authoritative and up to date results.
Can I access full text articles?
Yes, but not always. Some articles are freely available, plus you can also set up Google Scholar to access the University’s journal subscriptions.
To do this click on Settings then Library Links. Type USW into the search box and select FINDit@University of South Wales – Viewonline@USW.Tick the boxes next to the results and save. You will now be able to access our subscriptions via Google Scholar.
Do I still need to use FINDit?
Google Scholar is a good starting point for your research, but please be aware that it doesn’t index everything. It is important to use FINDit as well to search our subscription databases and journals for relevant journal articles.
For more information have a look at our Guide to FINDit or contact your Faculty Librarian.