Library Guide handouts and Library Guide web pages are available for many subject areas, which will list both electronic and print indexes within a specific field of study. Keep in mind that your topic may be addressed in more than one field of study. For example, if your topic is a new technology, you might want to consult an index to engineering journals to learn how it was developed and an index to business journals to see how it is being marketed. You can usually determine this in a printed index by looking at the introductory information in the front of the index, or in an electronic index by reading the description on the yellow EPC handout or by looking for information about the database online. Printed indexes usually cover one year's worth of journals in each volume, except for the current year, in which case there is usually one volume for each month or each quarter.
Electronic indexes cover anywhere from one year to twenty years.
Look for this information on the first few screens when you enter a database. Return to top. The rest of this guide will explain in detail how to use both electronic and printed indexes. Return to top. Basic keyboard actions are to use the arrow keys to move the cursor or bounce-bar to the choice you want and then press the Enter key to select it.