ENGL 105, Academic Writing, "Are You What You Eat?" (Michelle Superle)

Journal articles can be useful sources of information for almost any subject area. They contain current information or research, and are usually written on specific aspects of a topic.

Use research databases to search for articles on a specific topic. Databases can be accessed from off campus by current UFV students and employees.

The following journals are recommended for your course topic.

Looking for a journal? All our print and e-journals are listed in our Journals list.

1. Start with one or two keywords describing your topic.
2. Use the limiting options within the database to focus (i.e., refine) your results:
   • academic/peer-reviewed journals
   • date of publication (you might want more recent articles for some topics)
3. Look for subjects (aka descriptors) that can help you define your topic more narrowly.
4. Once you determine an angle or perspective you'd like to explore, try adding additional terms to your search.
5. Look for a "full text" link to view the article; if no full text link is available, try "Full Text Finder" to locate a copy of the article.
   • If no copy of the article is available online or in print, you can still request a copy from another library; there is no fee for this service, and articles take about 3 days (often fewer) to arrive.
6. Use the tools within the databases to mark, email, and print your articles:
   • You may be able to email the entire article to yourself, or at least the article information and abstract.
   • You may also be able to send yourself an MLA-formatting reference.
   • Articles in PDF format will have page numbers; articles in HTML format might not.