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Use the Journal Locator to search for or within a journal or periodical.
Enter the title of the periodical, such as American Historical Review, College English, or the Wall Street Journal. The Locator will let you know if MU has access to the title.
The MU library currently subscribes to more than 150 databases which are accessible in the Library or through remote access 24/7.
If you need help in determining which database provides the best coverage, check our Research Guides for recommended sources based on your topic.
An alphabetical list of all our databases can be found on the Library's Research Databases page.
To get started on topics of general interest, try these databases:
Use the word "AND" to combine your keywords to make your search more specific.
eg. "substance abuse" AND domestic violence
Use synonyms and alternative terms. Related terms, broader or narrower, will also bring up relevant results.
eg. teenagers | adolescents | youth
Use "quotation marks" to search for phrases.
"substance abuse"
Use Truncation "*" to search for words with common roots without entering them individually.
eg. searching for teen* retrieves teen, teens, teenaged, teenagers
You can limit search results in many databases to academic/peer-reviewed journals, by publication date, or full-text only.
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Popular Magazines |
Trade Journals |
Scholarly Journals |
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Audience |
All readers |
Professionals working in a specific field. Example: Nurses |
Scholars and Students |
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Appearance |
Glossy paper, many ads and pictures |
Glossy paper, short articles, many ads and pictures |
Research articles with charts and graphics, few pictures |
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Author |
Freelance writers or journalists hired by magazine |
Members of the profession |
Professors, scholars or teachers in the field |
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Purpose |
Entertain and inform |
Keep professionals up to date with trends in the field |
Publish new research in the field |
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References |
Very few citations |
Very few citations |
References are listed at the end of each article |
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Authority |
Articles reviewed by magazine’s editors |
Articles reviewed by magazine’s editors |
Articles undergo peer-review by scholars within the same field |
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Frequency |
Published weekly or monthly |
Published weekly or monthly |
Published a few times a year, quarterly |
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Examples |
Time, People |
Advertising Age, Education Week |
Higher Education Research & Development |
Anatomy of a Scholarly Article: NCSU Libraries
Learn about clues to look for in identifying a scholarly article.