What kind of publication is it?
Do you need to search for articles for a research paper or other project? This guide will help you quickly sort through the search results you retrieve and judge whether the articles will be useful for you (or not).
Below is a selection of hits from the library's basic search box when searching for information on Ida B. Wells-Barnett.
From these short article descriptions, look for the answers to the following questions:
- What type of article is it? This is shown by the icon on the left underneath the title.
Items labeled Periodical will be articles from popular magazines or trade publications, often written by journalists and
written for the general public.
Those labeled Academic Journal will come from scholarly, academic sources. These will be written by academics or other
professional experts for other scholars in the field; they'll also be based on the authors' research, with their sources
fully cited.
Items labeled Review will be reviews of books, movies, or other items that deal with your topic.
- When was the article published? Look at the publication date. Is the material current or older?
- Glance through the article titles and subjects. Do they fit what you're looking for? Is your topic the main focus of the article?
Examine the brief description
Next, click on the titles of any potentially useful articles. See the text in red for some questions worth considering as you read through the citations and abstracts. 
A larger version of this image is available (it will open in a new window).
If you didn't find a good number of useful search results, consider one or more of the following:
- Broaden your search by using fewer search terms, giving you more hits (but potentially less precise ones).
- Add more search terms with "and" (such as: Ida Wells-Barnett and civil rights) to narrow down your search. This will give you
fewer and more precise results.
- Limit your search by date range or publication type.
- Try a new search strategy, using synonyms or alternate terms, or perform your search in a different database.
More help
For additional support on finding and using journal articles or scholarly materials, see the guides listed below.
