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The Research Process: A Guide for OCC Students: 2c. Articles

This guide will walk you through the research process for a standard research paper.

Off-Campus Access

Use the same login that you use for MyOCC, Canvas, and your OCC email to login to the library's online resources.

If you have trouble logging in, please email us, use the chat button below, or call us at 714-432-0202 when the library is open

Periodicals Defined

Periodicals are publications which are issued at regular intervals, such as journals, magazines, and newspapers.

To help you identify different periodicals, refer to the Types of Periodicals guide.

Article Formats

Depending on the database you are using, articles may be displayed in different formats:

  • Index: Includes only the article citation (i.e., author, title, date, etc.). Neither a summary, nor the full-text of the article are available.
  • Abstract: Includes the citation and a summary of the article's content. It does not include the full-text article.
  • Full-text: Includes the citation and full-text article. This may be in HTML, .pdf, or both formats

Most databases at OCC will default to show you only full-text results. You can often change this option, if you wish.

Open Source Journals

Open access journals provide unrestricted, free access via the Internet to peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles. However, it is often much easier to search the databases your library subscribes to first.

Search for Articles

This search box will allow you to search OCC Discovery for articles. It includes articles from most library databases.

 

 

Learn more about searching in OCC Discovery

Choosing a Database

Article databases provide you with 24-7 access to magazine, journal and newspaper articles. To help you identify the most appropriate database for your research topic:

  • consult the Database A-Z  guide and use the pull down menu to limit your search by subject, and/or
  • see if there is a Subject Guide on your topic. 

What Are Databases

What Are Databases? by Yavapai College Library  -   Used by permission

Choosing the Right Database

LibKey Nomad

Get access to articles with one-click!

The LibKey Nomad browser extension will give you one-click access to journal articles available at OCC while you're searching the open web. Once installed, you'll see icons for journal articles that OCC has access to on various sites. If you can't find the source you are looking for, ask the librarians to help! 

Here's what it looks like on Wikipedia:

LibKey Nomad Example

Browzine

Browse Journals by Subject with Browzine!

One great way to discover journals in your subject or discipline is to use Browzine. This site allows you to drill down at the subject level and browse journal issues that the OCC Library has access to. This allows you to see the articles in the context of the publication and to look at articles published during a specific time frame.

If you can't find the source you are looking for, ask the librarians to help! 

DOI Search

Search the OCC Library by article DOI

You can now search the OCC Library's journal content by DOI. Simply copy and paste your article's DOI in the box and you'll see if the library has it and how you can access it. 

Search the OCC Library by DOI