Journals

What are journals?

Journals are collections of articles published regularly, e.g. in weekly, monthly or quarterly issues. A number of issues together form a volume and these are usually bound when they're complete which is often annually. Journals can also be referred to as periodicals, magazines or serials.

Journals contain articles which are generally more up to date and have greater depth than a book. Articles often report the results of research and are a valuable source for current developments in the subject.

We provide electronic access to the full text of over 10,000 journals, some of which are also held in print, but some of which are available in electronic form only.

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How do I know what journals the Library has?

Print journals

All print journals are included on YorSearch. Use either the Search Everything or Library Catalogue tab to search for a journal title.

  • Tip: use Advanced Search to search for words in the journal title, and select Journals from the Material Type drop-down
  • If you only have an abbreviation of the journal title: refer to the book Periodical title abbreviations (kept at the Library Help Desk) to get the full title and then search YorSearch as above.

From the Live Holdings tab you will need to note the Library, Collection and Shelf Location. The Loan category tells you whether the issue or volume can be borrowed.

The Due date column indicates when the item is due back if it is on loan.

Once you get to the shelf, you will see that the journals are arranged in alphabetical order by title within each Shelf Location. The journals are usually bound, but not always; loose issues will be contained in pamphlet boxes.

Electronic journals

There are two main routes to finding the electronic journal title you need: Find e-Journal and YorSearch.

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How can I find articles in journals on my subject?

As well as telling you which journals we subscribe to, YorSearch can also be used to search for articles inside those journals.

From YorSearch, choose the Search Everything tab. Then enter some keywords which describe the subject you are researching, or the details of the specific article you are looking for. Using Advanced Search at the start of the search process, or choosing Refine My Results from the search results, will allow you to refine your search.

You can also search for journal articles using more specialised bibliographic databases. You will find information on the databases we provide and how to search them on our E-resources Guide.

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What if the Library doesn't have the journal I need?

SUNCAT is the UK Serials Union Catalogue and will help you locate journals held in the UK.

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How can I keep up to date?

If you want to be alerted to new articles in your subject you can set up alerts on a variety of current awareness services. We provide information on some of the major services on our Keeping up to date web page.

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How can I get more help?

For more help on finding print and electronic journals you can: