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Environmental Design Library
How to Find Journal Articles

Introduction How to Identify Relevant Indexes to Journals:

Below are several strategies for locating indexes to journals* or periodicals*, which will help you to find journal articles on your topic. These strategies are not mutually exclusive—you may need to use them all. For additional help see Critical Evaluation of Resources (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Evaluation.html).

In order to locate the actual article you identify in your search, be sure to note the full journal title, volume and issue number, issue date, and pages. You will also need this information (the citation) for your bibliography or footnotes.

  1. Go to the Environmental Design Library (http://www.lib.berkeley. edu/ENVI/), and select Resources for: Architecture, City Planning, or Landscape Architecture/Environmental Planning, then select Indexes & Abstracts.

  2. Go to the UCB Libraries Homepage (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu), and under Library Collections select Electronic Indexes & Abstracts. This extensive alphabetical list with descriptions of each index is updated frequently and has direct links.

  3. The Berkeley Library Information Network, accessible on PCs throught the UCB libraries, provides access to over 60 indexes in CD-ROM format. They are listed by broad subject categories. Additional CD-ROMs are available on the non-networked, stand-alone workstation in the Environmental Design Library.

  4. Many important journal indexes are only available in print form. To identify them, search the online catalogs, e.g., Pathfinder / GLADIS or Melvyl by typing f su <name of subject>--periodicals--indexes, or <name of subject>--abstracts, e.g, f su landscape architecture--periodicals--indexes, or f su city planning--abstracts.

  5. Consult with the Environmental Design Library reference staff if you need more help.

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How to Identify Relevant Articles:

  1. Search the periodical index or database under keywords, phrases or subject headings that best describe your subject. Select up to three of the most unique or descriptive words appropriate for your topic. Omit articles and prepositions. Personal names are usually listed last name first, e.g., Wright, Frank Lloyd.

  2. Check to see if truncation in searching is used in the index or database. Most online indexes allow truncation or wild cards so you can search for variations of words all at once, e.g., architectur* allows searching for both architectural and architecture.

  3. Check to see if Boolean searching is available in the index or database. Many online indexes allow combinations of terms using and, or, or not to narrow your search.

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How to Find Call Numbers or Electronic Text of Journals:

Once you have the full citation of the article (author, title of article, name of journal, volume and issue number, issue date and pages), you must determine if it is available at UCB, and find the call number and location of the journal, or check to see if it is available full-text online:

  1. In Pathfinder (http://pathfinder.berkeley.edu/) select Quick Search, then key in Title Phrase (exact title) or Title Keywords and format: Journal Title. You may also limit to Location: Environmental Design Library, but remember that many related journal titles are in other libraries on campus. Once you have identified the journal you need, note the name of the library which holds it, full call number, and any special shelving location.

  2. In GLADIS (telnet://gladis.berkeley.edu) type f t <name of journal>. Look for the word <serial> in the listings to distinguish between books and journals with the same title. Type the item number of the title you want to see the location, call number and holdings. Type DET (detail) to see a volume-by-volume listing.

  3. In Melvyl (http://melvyl.cdlib.org/F/?func=file&file_name=find-b) select the journal title field and enter the title or title words of the journal. Once you have identified the journal you need, note the name of the library which holds it, full call number, and any special shelving location.

  4. Some journal titles are available in full text. See Electronic Journals at UCB for an alphabetical list (http://ucelinks.cdlib.org:8888/sfx_ucb-e-collection/e-journals-A.html).

  5. If you can't locate a journal in the UCB Libraries or online, consult the Environmental Design Library reference staff. We may be able to obtain a copy for you through InterLibrary Loan (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ILS/ibs.html).

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How to Locate Journals in the Environmental Design Library:

  1. Entries for journals in the online catalogs indicate their shelving locations. Most recent issues of journals in the Environmental Design Library are shelved in alphabetical order by title in the Current Periodical Shelves. For journals designated "recent issues on reserve" ask at the Environmental Design Library Circulation Desk.

  2. Bound volumes of journals are arranged in call number order and shelved in the bound periodical stacks. Folio journals (oversize volumes with the small letter "f" in front of their call numbers) are shelved at the end of the stacks for regular size journals.

  3. Journals in the Environmental Design Library are non-circulating.


*Note: The terms journal, magazine, periodical and serial are used interchangeably.

Elizabeth Byrne, Oct. 2005

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