Library and Information Literacy Instruction

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How to Find a Specific Article

  1. Click on FindIt.
  2. Enter in the exact journal title (at minimum.)
    • Entering the year, volume, and start page of the article may produce better results.
    • Entering the article title or author name is not recommended.
    • The primary goal is to determine if UW-Madison owns a copy of the journal in which the article you need appears.
  3. Click on FindIt.
  4. Online version: Click on the appropriate full text online resource.
    • If the Find It menu indicates online full text, note the Available from information which gives you the years of full-text coverage for each resource. Each resource may have full text coverage for different years of the journal you need.
    • Often, the listed links will not lead you directly to the online article. Instead, the link will take you to a resource that includes the full text of articles. Either browse for your article or search for the article by title or author name.
    • If the Find It menu does not indicate online full text is available, look for print copies of the journal (see the next step).
  5. Print version: Click the MadCat library catalog link in the Find It menu.
    • The link will open the MadCat record for the journal if it’s available at UW-Madison libraries.
    • MadCat will indicate the libraries that own the journal and the dates of coverage at each library.
    • Check whether the library has the volume of the journal that contains the article you need.
    • Note the call number and library location.
    • Here are campus libraries.

See also: How to Find a Specific Article Video

Questions? Ask a Librarian!