This tutorial module will show you the most efficient way to find articles using periodical indexes. The first thing to understand about periodical indexes is the types of material they cover. Periodicals consist of anything published on a regular basis such as daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly. This includes, but is not limited to, newspapers, magazines, and journals.
Periodical indexes are lists of articles found in periodicals.
Print indexes, indexes published on paper, may be arranged by article subject, author, or title. Electronic indexes, also called databases, are available on computer and will usually allow searching by author, title, subject, or keyword. Some indexes, like The Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature cover many periodicals while others, like The New York Times Index , cover only one periodical. Print indexes are generally issued periodically and are often cumulative. Electronic indexes are updated regularly, sometimes as often as daily, and are almost always cumulative Without indexes, library patrons would be forced to browse through the periodical shelves, spending tons of time looking for appropriate magazines, journals or newspapers and then browsing through each issue for articles on their topics.