Frequently Asked Questions
Finding Journals
I found an article in a database and it doesn't have full-text. How do I get it?
Many database records have a 
for tracking down the full article. See Find It! Help for more information.
If you have a list of article citations (references to articles that you retrieved from an index, bibliography, or online database) or if you want to browse a journal, you need to check PantherCat, the online catalog, to see if the libraries have the journal in print format (see also the e-journals question below).
- Select Journal/Magazine/Newspaper title from the PantherCat menu.
- Type the name of the journal (NOT the article title); omit any articles, such as a, an, or the, at the beginning of the journal title (e.g. Newsweek, Journal of Higher Education).
- If the title of the journal, magazine, or newspaper is listed, look for the year, volume, and issue you need in the displayed record.
- If the libraries have the correct title and issue, write down the call number, which is listed for the journal. Both current and older journals/magazines are shelved by call number.
- If the libraries have a direct electronic subscription, a link will be found in the catalog entry. Click on the link to access the journal online.
Where are the journals located?
To search for a journal title, start with the Citation Linker. This service checks our online and print holdings for journal availibility.
Many e-journals are also accessible through the Electronic Journals list. If a particular journal is not listed in the online catalog, check the list (available on the library homepage and also linked within PantherCat) to determine whether the title and year is available full-text in an electronic database.
Print journals are arranged by call number in the general collection (stacks), unless otherwise indicated on the location line or notes field in the catalog record. Latest issues of journals (usually the last year or so) will be located in the Current Periodicals Room, lower level, west wing, with some exceptions: there are some education-oriented journals in the Curriculum Library and all of the music titles are in the Music Library - both on the second floor, east wing. You should always check the location in PantherCat to see where print journal issues are located.
To search within a journal, you can also look up individual journal titles using Citation Linker or in Ulrichsweb.com, which lists where titles are indexed.
What is an e-journal?
An electronic journal provides full-text access to articles online. Dates of coverage will depend on the journal and the our subscription rights. The Electronic Journals list includes journals to which the libraries have a direct online subscription and full-text journals that are included in databases.
The Citation Linker and buttons in some databases may also be used to locate materials. It is the most up-to-date, accurate and comprehensive finding tool for searching journal titles. See Find It! Help for more information.
What do I do with an abbreviated journal title?
Many library materials abbreviate journal titles (e.g., "J Phys Chem" instead of "The Journal of Physical Chemistry"). This is done to conserve the size of database fields and save on printing ink. The library catalog and e-journals list cannot be used to search for titles based on their abbreviations; if you have a citation with a journal abbreviation, you must first find the full name of the journal.
The UWM Libraries Citation Linker may be used to look up several title abbreviations.
The reference book "Periodical Title Abbreviations" (kept at the RIS Information Desk) may also be used to look up the full names of journals. Online name databases such as jake, the Web of Science Journal Title Abbreviations, and the Medline Journals Database are also useful. See Selected Sources for Decoding Periodical and Journal Abbreviations for more titles.
Question #8
True or False: To search for a journal in PantherCat, type the journal title and select Journal/Magazine/Newspaper title from the menu.