University of Sunderland in London

What is a journal?

• Journals are publications focusing on a particular subject area or profession; they can contain articles, letters, and book reviews written by different authors
• Journals are published at regular intervals, such as monthly or quarterly; they are also known as periodicals or serials
• Articles form part of an issue of a journal and are often grouped together in a volume; usually each year is a separate volume
• Journals can be in print, online, or both

Why use journal articles?

• Journal articles are published more quickly than books, so can be more up to date
• They often cover a subject in depth and include original research
• They are aimed at an academic or technical audience in contrast to newspapers and magazines aimed at a general audience
• Articles are often peer reviewed, where content is checked by other experts in the field for accuracy and relevance

How can I access journals?

• Go to Library Search
• Select Journal Search from the top
• Either use the search box to find journal titles to read online
• Or you can browse for journal by subject category from the left

Please note, the Economist magazine is not in Library Search. It can be accessed directly once you register with your university email.

A database is a collection of up-to-date specialised information in different formats (text, graphics, audio, video, etc.) on a particular subject area. For example, we have databases for company profiles and industry research reports as well as law and health databases.

You can search for our subscription databases in Library Search. If you do not know any databases for your subject area, you can find a list of subject specific databases in Subject Support.

Please note, the FAME database is not in Library Search. It can be accessed directly from our website.