How Do I Find an Article If I Have the Citation?

A citation gives you the details you need to find an article.

Do not search the entire citation at once. It usually works better to search one part at a time.

What should I look for in the citation?

For a journal article, the most helpful parts are:

• Journal title: the name of the journal where the article was published
• Article title: the title of the individual article
• Author
• Year, volume, and issue: details that help you find the correct journal issue
• Page numbers: help confirm you found the right article

What should I search first?

Start with the Journal Title. 

1. From the library homepage, just below the search bar select the "journals" button
2. Type in the title of the journal in the Journal Search bar
3. You will be given options for which database to select that contains the journal. Start with the top option.
4. Select the correct year, volume and issue number.
5. Find the article by title and author

How do I tell the difference between the article title and the journal title?

• the article title is the title of one article
• the journal title is the name of the publication that contains the article

Example:

Smith, J. A. (2023). Study habits of first-year students. Journal of College Learning, 15(2), 45–61.

• Article title: Study habits of first-year students
• Journal title: Journal of College Learning

You will narrow down from the year, to the volume, and then to the issue.

What if the library does not have the article?

You may still be able to get it through interlibrary loan. [opens in a new window]