Journal articles are NOT
condensed textbooks. You may find some introductory or overview
level material in the format of a "review" journal
article. However, articles tend to be very focused pieces of work,
concentrating on a specific research problem, or analysing a defined
sub-topic in detail.
Journals (or “periodicals” as they are
also called) are serial publications released at regular intervals
(e.g. weekly, monthly, quarterly). They are a format by which results
can be speedily published and disseminated, and form a major platform
for the publication of academic and research papers across all subject
areas. Journals are usually aimed at an academic audience.
Using journals effectively involves a different
process than that used for finding books, reports, and most other
types of material. Specific finding tools are available that can
help you identify relevant articles within journals. These tools
are also used for other serial publications (conference proceedings,
magazines, and newspapers).
You may make a detailed search of the
literature for relevant references using an index,
then use the details from your reference to find the full-text
in the library
You can search just for papers that are immediately
available online if you use a full-text resource
such as a journal host service (all subjects), or pre-prints server
(mainly in the sciences) - read more about full-text resources
or pre-print servers.
