Common Problems Finding Journal Articles   Tags: evolution, kinesiology_and_sports, movement_science, research_tips, science, science_general, social_sciences, statistics, zoology  

1. Author

a) Incorrect author name. Ex: A.B. Green, not A.B. White; A. J. Smith, not J. A. Smith

b) Misspelled author name. Ex. B. A. Wyse, not Wise, Weiss

2. Journal

a) Incorrect journal title. Ex. Human Behavior, not Journal of Human Behavior; FEBS Letters, not FEBS Journal

b) Misspelled Journal Title. Ex. Ecological Modelling, not Ecological Modeling; Animal Behaviour, not Animal Behavior

3. Wrong Volume/Year/Page Number

Not every bibliography lists a correct volume, year of publication or page number. In cases like these, you will need to do a search on the author and article title/subject to find the correct information.

4. Wrong Database for Topic

In order to find relevant articles for your topic you need to choose the appropriate database for your subject area. Ex. articles on the transmission of Lyme disease will be more prevalent in databases such as Biosis Previews (biology) and PubMed (life sciences).

5. UM Doesn't Own the Journal /Year of Publication

There are times when the article you need is published in a journal not subscribed to by UM libraries. Or, the years owned to not cover the year you need. In these instances, you can request your article through Interlibrary Loan (http://www.lib.umich.edu/ill) The service is free, but will take a few days to fulfill.

Where to Get Help?

- Any library reference desk

- Science Research Consultation

- Ask a Librarian (online chat). Link located on any library homepage, or directly at http://www.lib.umich.edu/ask

Patricia Yocum. Rev. JM Jones, 9/08

See http://www.lib.umich.edu/ask for additional contact methods.