Article Databases
Finding Key Scholarly and Trade Journals in a Field
Database Searches
- A good path for identifying key scholarly or trade journals in a field is to first run a search in a relevant database and then use the publication filter to locate the journals that have published the most articles on your topic.
- The following search of the Business Source Complete database which explores the use of social media in public relations demonstrates this process.
- Enter your search terms in the database search boxes and run the search.
2. After retrieving a list of results, limit to either Trade Publications or Academic Journals in the Source Type section in the left margin and then scroll down the left margin to Publications for a list of the trade magazines or scholarly journals appearing most often in the list of results.
2. After retrieving a list of results, limit to either Trade Publications or Academic Journals in the Source Type section in the left margin and then scroll down the left margin to Publications for a list of the trade magazines or scholarly journals appearing most often in the list of results.- The images below use trade publications as an example. It is clear that Public Relations Tactics is an important trade publication in the field of public relations, specifically the use of social media in this field. If looking for key scholarly journals in this field, the academic journals option would be selected under Source Types and the names of scholarly journals that appear the most frequently in the list of results would appear in the Publication section.
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Locating Databases to Search for Articles
These databases are just an example of the many resources the library has available for you to search for scholarly articles related to your research problem. Locate additional databases for your research through the list of subject specific research guides found through the link below:
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowComprehensive coverage of journals and trade publications in all business-related disciplines. Additional full text, non-journal content includes financial data, books, major reference works, conference proceedings, case studies, company profiles, SWOT analyses, investment research reports, industry reports, market research reports, country reports, and Harvard Faculty Seminar Videos.
Dates Covered: 1886-present. - Communication and Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new windowAccess to journals in communication, mass media and other closely-related fields of study.
Dates Covered: 1920-present. - Education Research Complete This link opens in a new windowProvides bibliographic and full text access to scholarly research and information relating to many areas of education.
- Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text This link opens in a new windowA collection of full-text and bibliographic coverage from scholarly and popular sources, and spanning the entire spectrum of film and television studies.
- RILM Abstracts of Music Literature This link opens in a new windowBest music index for scholarly journals and articles, book chapters, dissertations, and foreign-language materials. Best coverage for musicology, ethnomusicology, and music theory.
Dates Covered: 1969-present.
Professional Association Websites
Professional Association Websites
- Professional associations often publish trade and/or scholarly journals. Once you identify a relevant professional association for your field, browse through the navigation menu on their website to locate publications they produce.