The readings in Lesson 3 will explain various ways of searching periodical indexes, abstracts and databases to locate material on a topic. The readings also discuss characteristics of periodicals and articles as well as the concept of indexing and abstracting. They're valuable sources of information you'll need for college research. You might wonder why you'd want to use periodicals along with or instead of books when doing research. Journals can transmit necessary research articles in a matter of months.
Magazines can do the same within a few weeks.
Newspapers publish information on current issues and events, usually the next day. If you're researching a current topic or one about which you are seeking the latest developments, books probably won't do the job, at least not completely. Timeliness is more critical to researchers in some fields more than others. Software engineers, for example, need the most current information they can get when they develop new computer programs. By the time a programming book hits the shelves, it may already be out of date.