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Getting Started at the Library

Articles from Journals, Magazines and Newspapers

This page contains basic information about how to search for and access articles from magazines, newspapers and scholarly journals. For more advanced assistance, contact your subject librarian.

There are several places you can start when searching for articles:

TWUniversal: Finding & Accessing Articles

 
Searching

When searching for an article from a magazine, newspaper or scholarly journal in TWUniversal, use the following steps:

1) If you are looking for a specific article, type or paste the article title into the search bar. If you are searching for articles on a topic, type 2-3 search words to start with. You can add more later if you need to.

Screenshot of the TWUniversal search bar. The search words "gluten-free cereal" are in the search bar and an arrow is pointing to it.

2)   Use the "Content Type" filter to refine your results to the type of information you're looking for: Articles, Newspapers Search.

Screenshot of the "Content Type" filter on the left side of the search results screen of TWUniversal. Arrows point to the "Content Type" options for "Articles" at the top of the list and "Newspapers search" at the bottom of the list.

  • If you are searching for peer-reviewed or scholarly journal articles, click "Peer-reviewed Journals" in the "Availability" filter and "Articles" in the "Content Type" filter.

Screenshot of the filters on the left side of the search results screen in TWUniversal. Under the "Availability" filter, an arrow points to the option "Peer-reviewed Journals." Under the "Content Type" filter, an arrow points to the "Articles" option.

3) If you feel overwhelmed by the number of search results, try the following:

  • Browse through all search filters and experiment with each one to see what it does. The "Publication Date" filter is useful if you need to find newer articles. The "Subject" and "Journal Title" filters can sometimes be useful for focusing your search on the topic or discipline you want.
  • Add another word to your search. 
 
Accessing

To access an article you found in TWUniversal, use the following steps:

1) Click the title of the article you're interested in.

Screenshot of a search result in TWUniversal. An arrow points to the article title, which is one of the first things listed.

2) Scroll down the page to the "View It" section. After the words "Full text" is the name of a database that contains the full text of the article. Click the database name to continue. Sometimes, multiple databases are listed. Any of them should work.

Screenshot of the "View It" section of an item in TWUniversal. Beneath a maroon bar with the words "Sign-in for more options" is an arrow pointing to the words "Full text: Elsevier ScienceDirect Complete Freedom Collection"

3) After clicking the database name, you may be prompted to log in with your TWU portal username and password. Use the same username and password you use to log in to your other TWU accounts.

Screenshot of log-in screen for library resources. In large text are the words "Welcome to TWU Libraries Online Resources." Beneath that is a prompt to enter your Portal username and password. For the username, use only your username, not your full email address. For example, "JPioneer" not "JPioneer@twu.edu."

4) Each database is a bit different, but to access the full text of the article, search the page for the words "full text" or "pdf." Sometimes the words "HTML full text" are what to search for.

Screenshot from an article in the ScienceDirect database. An arrow points to a blue button with a PDF icon and the words "View PDF."

 
Possible Situations

I'm being asked to pay money to access the article. Should I pay?

You should never have to pay to access an article from a resource that TWU subscribes to. To avoid this situation, always start your searches from the TWU Libraries website. If you started your search from the TWU Libraries website and are asked to pay money to access an article, this may be a technical error. Please notify library staff.

Databases: Finding & Accessing Articles

database is a digital collection of information. Databases can contain articles, books, images, videos, audio and more. Below is how to find and access articles using databases. If at any point you feel overwhelmed or stuck, contact your subject librarian for assistance.

Choosing a Database

1a) If you are starting from the A-Z Databases list, you can search for a specific database using the search bar. Or you can use the "All Subjects" drop-down menu and select the subject you're researching. 

Screenshot of the A-Z Databases list on the TWU library website. Near the top of the page are three drop-down menus and a search bar. An arrow points to the first drop-down menu, which has the text "All Subjects" and multiple subjects, including Art, Biochemistry, and so on, listed in a menu beneath.

1b) If you are starting from a library subject guide, click the title of the database you want to search. If you are new to searching databases, it may be easier to start in the subject guide instead of the A-Z Databases list.

Screenshot from the library subject guide for biology. An arrow points to a menu option titled "Articles / Databases." Another arrow points to content from that page: a tabbed box, where the first tab is titled "Biology Databases" and includes a list of seven databases.

 

2) Click on the title of a database you want to search.

 

3) Log in with your TWU username and password if prompted to do so. This is the same log-in you use for your other TWU accounts.

Screenshot of log-in screen for library resources. In large text are the words "Welcome to TWU Libraries Online Resources." Beneath that is a prompt to enter your Portal username and password. For the username, use only your username, not your full email address. For example, "JPioneer" not "JPioneer@twu.edu."

 

Searching Databases

Each database is a bit different. The steps below are very basic and can generally be followed in most databases. If you need more advanced or customized searching assistance, contact your subject librarian for guidance.

1) When starting a search use only 1-3 search words to begin with. If you use too many search words, you may get zero results and not know why. It's best to start small so you know how many results you have to work with and then add more search words as you go.

Screenshot of the search screen from the database Academic Search Complete. An arrow points to a search bar where the words "gluten-free cereal" have been typed.

2) Use filters as needed. These serve the same function as filters on retail websites that allow you to filter your results for certain prices, brands, colors, etc. Using too many filters at once may cause you to have zero search results and not know why. Only use a filter if you need it, and only add one filter at a time. Common filters you may use are related to publication date, peer-review, subject or language.

Screenshot of a search results page from the database Academic Search Complete. On the left side of the screen is a list of filters with an arrow pointing to the filters for  Peer Review, Publication Date, Subject, Publication and Language.

3) Add search words and filters until there a few enough search results for you to look through. If you are only willing to look through 100 search results, add search words and filters until you have fewer than 100 search results.

 
Accessing Articles

To access the full text of article that you found in a library database, use the following steps:

1) In your search results, click the title of the article.

Screenshot of a single search result in the database Academic Search Complete. An arrow points to the title of the article, which is at the top of the search result and is a clickable hyperlink.

2) Clicking the article title will take you to a page with information about the article. Search around the page for the words "full text" or "PDF" or "HTML full text." These are usually found along the upper area of the page, sometimes along the left or right side. 

Screenshot of an article description page in the database Academic Search Complete. On the left side of the screen, arrows point to hyperlinked text for "HTML Full Text," "PDF Full Text" and "Find It @ TWU."

3) Once you've located the words "full text" or "PDF," click any links or buttons nearby. 

4a) If the article PDF exists in the database you were searching, the PDF should open up. From there, you can download, save or print the PDF to use again later.

Screenshot of a PDF viewing window from the database Academic Search Complete. In the upper-right of the image, in a toolbar, arrow point to a download icon and a print icon.

4b) If you click a button or link for "Find It @ TWU," you will be taken to TWUniversal where you will find either a list of databases where the full text can be found or a message indicated that TWU may not have access to that particular article.

Screenshot of menu from left side of an article description page in the database Academic Search Complete. An arrow points to the last option in the menu, the hyplinked text "Find It @ TWU."

  • If you find one or more database name in the "View It" section of the page, click any database name to continue.

Screenshot of the "View It" section of an article description page in TWUniversal. Arrows point to two database names that follow the words "Full text:" "Academic Search Complete" and "Gale Health and Wellness."

  • If you find a message suggesting TWU may not have access to the article, click the hyperlink with the text "Click here to submit Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Request."

Screenshot of the "Get It" section of an article description in TWUniversal. After the first paragraph that starts with the words "If full-text is not available online at TWU," an arrow points to a link with the text "Click here to submit Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Request."

 

Possible Situations

I'm being asked to pay money to access the article. Should I pay?

You should never have to pay to access an article from a resource that TWU subscribes to. To avoid this situation, always start your searches from the TWU Libraries website. If you started your search from the TWU Libraries website and are asked to pay money to access an article, this may be a technical error that library staff should be notified of.

I got a message that TWU does not have access to the article I need. How can I get the article?

TWU Libraries budget prioritizes subscriptions to resources most closely related to the degrees offered at TWU, so there are resources that TWU does not subscribe to.

If you need an article that TWU does not have access to, try requesting it through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Interlibrary Loan does not cost you anything to use. Acquiring the article through ILL can take a few business days, so always begin your research well before the due date of your assignment.