From Citation to Article

In order to find a specific article, you generally first need a citation. Citations can be discovered or verified by using a database or index. There are many available in both electronic and print formats throughout the Library.

Which index or database you use depends on the topic of your research. For electronic resources, the Selected Electronic Resources menu, available on computer workstations throughout the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, offers a subject guide to the indexes & databases available. Choosing the subject closest to your topic will reveal databases relevant to your field. If you are accessing the Library’s web site from home, you can review the list of databases and indexes online. However, please note that you can only access the databases themselves from within the building.

Once you have the citation for the article you desire, go to CATNYP (http://catnyp.nypl.org) and search to see if the item is in the Library’s collections. Remember to check three key points:

Does the Library have the title?
Does the Library have the date or specific issue you need?
What is the location for the specific issue you need?

You will need to fill out a call slip in order to request the journal. Make sure you have the complete citation, including the call number, the full title of the journal, date, volume, and issue number. While you will not need the author and title of the article to request the journal, you will want to copy it for your research.

Submit the call slip in the appropriate Division to have the item retrieved for you.