Online Library Research 

Module1: Finding your way
Module2: Books and more
Module 3: E-Books
Module4: Article Databases
Module 5: Web Savvy
Module 6: Citing Sources
Northwest Library
EPCC

Accessing Databases

Periodicals

Module 2, Searching Online Catalog and Module 3, Finding E-books, provide general materials on searching. Module 4, Accessing Electronic Databases, seeks to present materials more focused on literature, literary criticism and biographical information, while still addressing the basic questions like "What is a periodical?", "What is an electronic database?", "What is a citation?"

What is a periodical?

A periodical is published more than once a year. Magazines, journals, and newspapers are considered to be periodicals.

Why use periodical articles?

• the topic is too new or too narrow to have a book written about it;
• recent periodical articles are often more up-to-date than books;
• a critical review of a specific work by a specific author may be covered in a journal or newspaper but not a book;
• a book may have too much information, whereas an article is short and can cover just the highlights
   

Tutorial created by Monica Wong,  Head Librarian, Northwest Campus Library
915/831-8840 | monicaw@epcc.edu

Technical Consultant: Joe Old , El Paso Community College

This site was created as part of the Integrating Technical Contexts into Academic Programs (ITAC) Project.
Funds for the program were provided by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under the auspices
 of the federal Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998.

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