Periodical is a term used to describe materials which are published regularly (periodically) according to a specific schedule. The currency and regularity of publication makes this class of material an excellent source of information when writing a research paper. A list of all of the print periodicals in the library is available.
Journals:
Journal Examples:
New England Journal of Medicine
Journal of Dental Technology
Marine Biology
Marriage & Family
What is a peer-reviewed journal?
Peer-reviewed means that articles are evaluated prior to publication for quality and accuracy by individuals who work in the field being discussed.
How do I find peer-reviewed journals?
Some of the library’s databases vendors allow you to limit your search to peer-reviewed articles. These database vendors are listed below: Just place your mouse over the box and select as needed.
EBSCO
Gale
When you write a research paper it is important to acknowledge the sources (books, articles, etc.) that you referenced, quoted, or paraphrased. A citation is a brief description of a source. The information included in a citation depends upon the type of source and the citation style that you are using. The elements of a citation generally include author, title and publication information. Your professor will tell you which style is required for their class. The library has books and an online tool that will assist you in preparing citations. The library has a handout to use in citing our databases in MLA and APA styles.
An abstract is a brief summary of a larger work. When you research a subject in one of the library’s databases, you will be presented a list of citations with abstracts. By reading the abstracts, you can decide whether or not you want to read the entire text.
How do I find a magazine, or journal article on a given subject?
The library has online databases that contain thousands of articles. These databases are found on the library’s Electronic Resources page accessible from the library home page. Students wishing to access the databases must login with their student id number and password. It is suggested that you start with EBSCO. A help sheet and video tutorials are available to assist you. Tutorials have been created to introduce basic searching, finding company reports and nursing and allied health materials. Gale, another of our vendors, contains multiple databases that cover many disciplines. Videos on narrowing your topic and creating an outline in the Gale databases are available. Handout
Newspapers are usually published daily or weekly; cover the current events for a town, industry or region; articles are relatively short in length; and a good source for topics of local interest. A current list of newspaper subscriptions is available. Examples
Boston Globe
New York Times
USA Today
How do I find newspaper articles?
The library subscribes to several databases that include newspaper articles.
Go to Electronic Resources on the library home page to access:
Lexis Nexis Academic - hundreds of U.S. and international newspapers, in addition to broadcast transcripts and wire services. The New York Times (1980-present) and the Washington Post (1977-present) are included. To search a particular newspaper, use the "Sources" list.
Lowell Sun - keep track of Middlesex and other local stories in the news in the online version of the Sun from 2005.
Massachusetts Newstand - access to the full text coverage of the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Worcester Telegram as well as the Lowell Sun and selective access to other regional Mass newspapers.
Wall Street Journal - articles in full text from 1984 to the present can be searched by title, author, document type, geographical name and SIC code. A search guide is available. Technical hint: If you have a firewall set up at home you may be prompted for an username and password . Username: 0rrn28vvs6 Password: welcome.
EBSCO Newspaper Source - cover-to-cover full text for 25 national and international newspapers. The database also contains selective full text for more than 335 regional (U.S.) newspapers. In addition, full text television and radio news transcripts are also provided.
Which magazines and newspapers does the library subscribe to?
The Middlesex libraries subscribe to a small collection of over 100 print periodicals. Most of them can be checked out for two weeks. A current list of hard copy periodicals is available. In addition, articles from over 15,000 magazines, journals and newspapers are available to you online through the Electronic Resources Area in Blackboard.
How do I know which database to use?
The databases are listed on the library’s Electronic Resources Page. Each database has a brief description of its contents. In addition, there are specific subject guides available that will suggest appropriate databases
Learning how to create an effective search can make the difference between frustration and success.
Identify words or phrases (keywords) that relate to your topic.
Learn about Boolean search operators used to group terms togetherA keyword search finds your terms in the author, title, subject, and note fields. Read an encyclopedia article, print or online if you need some help in getting started. For help with additional searching tips see our Basic Searching Tips handout.
What databases are good if I need to write an argumentative essay?
CQ Researcher, an online serial offers in-depth articles on a single topic and is published weekly. (Instructions) The Opposing Viewpoints Reference Center contains viewpoint essays on both sides of an issue, magazine articles, and links to internet websites.(Handout) Either database would be a good choice when asked to write an argumentative essay, pro-con paper, or debate a topic. Both databases are available from the Electronic Resources Page clickable from the library home. Additional information and internet resources are available on our Recommended website page on writing.
How do I find art information and images ?
Individuals looking for images should take a look at the ArtStor database available on the Electronic Resources Page clickable from the library home page. ArtStor contains nearly a million museum quality images which can be downloaded and used in papers and presentations. Faculty interested in using the ArtStor database in instruction need an account to create groups .and personal folders. Additional video tutorials are available on YouTube for common tasks. For more information contact Laura Horgan. Additional recommended art web sites of interest have been selected by our library staff.
How do I find biographical information?
Biographical books and media in the Middlesex Community College libraries are shelved according to the subject area of the individual. In addition, the library has access to a the Biography Resource Center (handout) and tutorial, a Gale database available on the Electronic Resources Page clickable from the library home page. Additional biographical information can be found by searching the recommended web sites.
How do I find business journal articles?
When researching a business topic, begin your search by looking at Business Source Premier, an EBSCO database or the Wall St. Journal available on the Electronic Resources Page clickable from the library's home page. For additional information on business resources, please see the Business , Hospitality, or International Business guides.
How do I find career information?
The library provides access to two database products that provide career information. Vocational biographies and the Vault Career Library are accessible from the Electronic Resources Page. They include information on specific careers, resume and cover letters, internships and company information. Information on these Career products are available from the reference librarians or Career Services.
How do I find criminal justice journal articles?
The library subscribes to ProQuest Criminal Justice Periodicals Index (CJPI) available on the Electronic Resources Page clickable from the library home Page. This is a comprehensive database of U.S. and international criminal justice journals. The database provides research support for students interested in careers in criminal justice, law enforcement, corrections administration, drug enforcement, rehabilitation, family law, and industrial security. The database includes abstract and indexing for 240 titles, with more than 80 available in full-text.
In addition the library subscribes to a few periodicals in print which are shelved in our libraries. The latest issues are kept on the current periodical shelves with back issues shelved separately. All of the print periodicals are indexed in the CJPI database. Holdings are as follows:
Title Campus Holdings American Jails Bedford Current year + 1
Corrections Today Bedford Current year +1 Law and Order Bedford Current year +1 Police Bedford
LowellCurrent year +1
Current year +3Police Chief Bedford Current year +1 For additional information on criminal justice resources please see our Criminal Justice Subject Guide.
How do I find dental articles?
Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source, a new database has been purchased to specifically support the dental programs. It is available on the Electronic Resource Page clickable from the library home page. This database covers all facets relating to the areas of dentistry including dental public health, endodontics, facial pain & surgery, odontology, oralr adiology, orthodontology, pediatric dentistry, periodontology, and prosthodontics
How do I find health articles?
The library has access to several databases in EBSCO (Health Source Consumer, Health Source Nursing, CINAHL, and Medline) as well as Gale (Health Reference Center Academic) that provide information and articles on health topics. Nursing students should click here. A reference librarian can assist you if you need more specific information. For additional help you might look at the Dental, Medical Assisting, and Nursing Subject Guides. These guides will link you to books, databases, websites, and citation information.
How do I find information on a legal citations?
The library has two legal databases that can assist you in finding information about legal citations. Both Westlaw Campus and Lexis Nexis Academic are available on the Electronic Resources Page. Help guides for Westlaw and Lexis Nexis have been developed
How do I find literature information
Contemporary Literary Criticism Select (handout) and Literature Resource Center (handout) (tutorial), and the Gale Virtual Reference Library (Tutorial) are three database products that MCC licenses that cover literature. Additionally MasterFile Premier and Academic Search Premier, our two comprehensive databases from EBSCO are a good place to look. In addition our library staff have created a Subject Research Guide on Literature which could be very helpful. These guides will link you to books, databases, websites, and citation information.
There is a small CD collection available at the Bedford and Lowell Campus libraries near the circulation desk. Please ask a library staff member if you need help locating it. In addition the library has access to the Naxos Music Library in the Electronic Resources Page, an internet database of mostly classical music that can be used to support classroom assignments. For more information please contact our reference librarians.
Westlaw--Why am I having problems?
Westlaw is by far our most challenging database to support especially in terms of students accessing it from home. It requires you to make changes to your browser and network settings. For a complete list of all known issues and solutions please click here. As always if you are having problems and can't figure it out on your own just bring your laptop to Laura Horgan on the Bedford Campus, or contact another library staff member to help you through it. We can be reached by phone 781-280-3706 (Bedford) and Lowell (978 656-3005), email the reference desk , or connect to us using the IM plug-in from the the MCC Home Page.
Why am I having difficulty getting into the databases?
The library provide access to many databases to assist faculty, staff and students with their research needs. In all cases these resources are purchased by the library and must be restricted to the Middlesex Community. Our vendors identify Middlesex patrons by their IP address while on campus. When individuals are connecting from off-campus your browser and security settings might need to be changed in order to allow access to various products. For most individuals enabling session cookies is a good place to start. A complete troubleshooting guide is available.
Last updated Jan. 2009
