Accessing Articles from Databases
Once you find an article (or articles) that suits your needs, you have a few options as to how you can go about reading it. Many articles will be in full-text format, which means that you can access and read the whole article then and there. If this is not the case, you'll have either an abstract or an extended citation. An abstract is a summary of the article. A citation is simply the information you'd need to track the article down in print format or in another database. This includes the author's name, the title of the article, the name of the periodical that it originally appeared in, the date it was published, and the page number.

When you find full-text articles, you may:

Read them on screen and take notes (if they're short), OR

Print them. If you are working from the Library, you may print them for $.10 per page with a Debitek card. If you are working from home, you may simply print them for free on your home printer. Look for the "Print" icon in the database's menu, which is near the top of the screen, OR

Email them. If you are working in the Library or without access to a printer, you may email articles to your personal email account so that you may print it later. Look for the "Email" icon in the database's menu, which is usually  near the top of the screen, and follow the directions you're given.

When you find abstracts or citations:
When you find just an abstract or a citation, you must find the full-text of the article, either in another database or in paper form; never quote or paraphrase information from an abstract in your papers. For example, let's say that you have found an abstract of an article from the New York Times in InfoTrac. First, write down the author's name, the title of the article, and the publication date. Then, return to the main "Databases" page and locate the "Journal Titles A - Z" alphabetical listings section near the bottom of that page. To see if the the New York Times is available in another database, type the title in the search box OR click "N" in the "Journal Titles A - Z" list. Under the letter N, you'll find a list of all of the newspapers, magazines, and journals beginning with "N" that are available in the Library's databases or on the periodical shelves. When you've found "New York Times" on the "N" list, you'll notice in the right hand column of the screen that it's available in LexisNexis Academic. Just click on "LexisNexis Academic," and you will be linked into the LexisNexis database. Finally, search for your article there by author or by the article title, making sure to verify that it's the one you want by the publication date.

If you see the words "HCC Library Print Journals" in the right hand column of the "Journal Titles A - Z" screen, that means a paper copy of the item you're looking for may be found on the Periodical shelves, which are near the Check Out Desk. They are arranged alphabetically by title, and they may NOT be checked out.
 
If you do not find your periodical title in the Journal Titles List, that newspaper, magazine, or journal is not available, in print or in databases, at the HCC Library.

Ready to find articles about your topic?