On this page

• What are journals and databases?
• Database search tips
• Finding journal articles
• How to find a journal article on Library Search (Video)
• How to find a journal article on a library database (Video)

Download this document on 'Database Search Tips' and learn how using truncation, wildcard, connectors, phrases and proximity features leads to more effective searching.

Finding journal articles

There are two ways to find online journal articles:

Library Search

• Select the "Journal articles" button on the Find Library Resources box and enter your search terms. From the results list, you can limit your search results to "Full Text", and further refine your search by publication date or limit to peer-reviewed articles.

There is a video on this page to lead you through the process.

• How to find a journal article on Library Search 

Specific Database Search

• Select your database from the alphabetical listing, or browse by subject to find a relevant database. Enter your keywords and refine your search as required. If you are accessing online resources off-campus, you will need to enter your MyVU login and password when prompted.

There is a video on this page to lead you through the process:.

• How to find a journal article on a library database 

And specific database videos available via the VU Library Vimeo channel:

• How to search in the Emerald Database
• How to search for journal articles in CINAHL
• How to find a journal article using SPORTDiscus
• How to search in the ACM Digital Library

Before you start looking for your journal articles, watch this video. It will explain what a scholarly or academic journal is, and as well as introducing journal databases. In addition, the video explains the peer review process and how you can check that an article is peer-reviewed.