Journal articles are usually short papers on specific topics. In print they are published regularly in issues or parts, which combine to form a volume of a journal (also called periodicals). Online versions often retain the concept of volumes, issues and pages, although some online only journals use an article reference number instead.
Use articles to find:
The easiest way to find journal articles on a topic is to search Summon. This service searches across articles held in most of the journals covered by Library subscriptions. One search on Summon will also find relevant content in our e-books, online encyclopedias and other sources.
Watch our video for an introduction to searching Summon to find articles.
The Library subscribes to databases which you can search to find relevant articles. These allow you to run more precise searches than is possible in Summon, and will extend your search beyond our collections (vital if you are doing a literature search for your PhD).
When searching databases just click on the "Search for item at Reading" button next to each reference. This will link you directly to the article if it is available online as part of our collections. You can also search the catalogue automatically to find out if we hold the print journal. See the 'Finding journals' tab for more information.
