More about finding articles

• Where do I begin? Answer
• Why should I use the library's research databases instead of Google? Answer
• What is primary versus secondary research? Answer

The J.W. England Library provides access to numerous databases, most containing full text journal articles or citations to specific papers.  Search a database that indexes journals and search by subject or keyword to locate relevant publications.

Not sure where to begin?  Click on PubMed’s excellent search help or FAQ pages on PubMed's left sidebar.  The instructions are clear and well worth your time.

When you have identified an article and a journal title, you will need to determine its availability at USP.  In many cases, you will find a quick link to the full text of the article.

Here is an example of a citation for an article published in “JAMA,” the Journal of the American Medical Association:

To double check availability, go to TDNet and search by the journal title (not the article title) to determine if USP provides online or print access.  This record will tell you the particular years the Library owns in print and electronically (in many cases, there may be more than one provider).  Be sure to search for the journal’s name—not the title of the article—when searching TDNet. The first record shown below is for “JAMA.”

In this case, the TDNet record reveals that this journal is available electronically from 1998 to the present.  Clicking on “Print Holdings” will take you into Catalyst, the Library’s online catalog, which shows that the journal is available in print from 1967 to the present. Print journals are on the 2nd floor, and are arranged alphabetically by title.

Why should I use the library's research databases instead of Google?

Librarians have carefully selected specific databases to support USP’s disciplines and programs.  Specially designed databases can enable you to be a more efficient searcher.

While Google Scholar can provide a quick overview of the literature, it does not include coverage of every published journal or book indexed in our databases, nor does it provide the search tools that enable you to focus your research, such as the ability to limit to peer-reviewed or scholarly publications, clinical trials, statistics, etc. If a researcher requires such limits, only databases will allow the option to limit to this particular type of literature.  Google neither provides the historical depth of coverage found in a database.

Primary v. Secondary Sources 

Primary Sources
“Primary Literature” refers to the first place a scientist will reveal to world in print form the results of scientific investigations, written by the person(s) who did the research.  All of these are collectively called “documents.” Primary publications include:

• scientific journal articles
• published conference proceedings
• technical reports,
• dissertations or theses, and
• patents.
  

Secondary Sources
A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. Secondary sources are one step removed from primary sources and include:

• Review articles, summaries or meta-analyses
• Textbooks and monographs
• Commentary and criticism