Periodicals in the GGL

IS2312Page 1 of 2
September 2005

1.What is a periodical?

A periodical is a publication that is issued at intervals, each issue being numbered consecutively, and is intended to continue indefinitely. Within this definition are newspapers and magazines as well as scientific periodicals, which contain scholarly articles and research reports. ‘Journal’ and ‘serial’ are often used as synonyms for periodical.

2.A typical reference to a periodical article

AuthorTitle of article

Pennebaker, J. W. (2003) Words of wisdom: Language use over the life span

Journal of personality and social psychology,

85 (2), 291-301

Volume, Part & Page numbers Periodical Title

Periodical titles are often abbreviated. The following publication can be used to find the full titles.

Alkire, LG (Ed.) (2000) Periodical title abbreviations. 12th ed. Detroit: Gale.

Gen Ref Z6945.A2 PER

3.How to find a periodical

All the periodicals held in the George Green Library of Science and Engineering are listed on the University of Nottingham Library Online Catalogue (UNLOC).

To find periodicals on UNLOC select the Journals link near the top of the Basic Search screen and then use either Browse journal titlesor Search for journal titles to find the periodical you need. If you know the exact title of your journal, type the first few words of the title into the Browse box and this will display an alphabetical list of journals. If you are unsure of the exact title, you can type a few keywords into the Search box.

Click on the relevant title and then on Global Holdings to see the full details, including which volumes and dates of the title we hold and where it is shelved. Holdings are typically shown as Vol 1- , 1988-, indicating that we hold a complete set from Volume 1, 1988 onwards, or Vols 3-8, 1990-1995, indicating that we have volumes 3 to 8 for 1990 to 1995 only. Periodical locations in the George Green Library direct you to the appropriate sequence, General, Science, Engineering or Chemistry. Titles are shelved alphabetically within each of these sequences. If the location is shown as Store, make a note of the bay number before going into the basement area where you will find a map of the Store showing the layout of the shelves.

4.Central Store

Some older volumes of science and engineering periodicals have been transferred to a remote Central Store. To obtain an item from the Central Store you must make a request through the UNLOC system using the Central Store button in the top menu bar. You will be asked to login, with your library number, to access the online request form where you can specify the item you need. The journal volume will normally be delivered to the library of your choice within 24 hours and will be held for up to one week at the lending desk for you to collect.

5.Electronic journals

A substantial number of periodicals is also available in electronic format, including many titles not held in printed form. Electronic journals are listed in the library catalogue alongside the print titles.

To find electronic journals, search UNLOC as described above and you will be able to identify the online journals in the catalogue from the phrase “[electronic resource]” which appears after the title. To view the online journal select the title you require and click on FindtextviaSFX in the Location column.A new window will open which offers one or more links to the full text of the online journal itself. Further information in the SFX window tells you which years are available and whether the journal can be used off-campus.

Electronic journals can be viewed from computers linked to the University network and in many cases from off-campus as well. Any restrictions on passwords required are shown in the SFX window.

An alternative route to electronic journals is via the eLibrary Gateway, accessible via the portal or the IS website:

From the IS website or the portal select Information Gateway and then eLibrary Gateway and click on Find E-Journal in the top menu bar. You can then search or browse for a specific title. An advantage of this route is that you can create a tailored list of your favourite journals for frequent use.

Please ask your subject librarian if you would like further details of electronic journals.

6.Abstracting and indexing periodicals

These special resources act as indexes to help you find articles published in the scientific journals by the authors’ names or by subject.

There are some printed indexes in the library but most abstracts and indexes are available electronically. Please ask your subject librarian for more information or see the eLibrary Gateway on the Information Services website for links to search the databases and for more details:

7.Borrowing regulations

All abstracting and indexing journals are for reference use only. Similarly most periodicals are restricted to the library. Academic staff and students reading for PhD or MPhil degrees may borrow these journals on reference loan, for a few hours or overnight, on completion of a paper loan slip at the lending desk. Loans to undergraduates are at the discretion of the library staff. If you have a special reason for needing to borrow a journal please apply at the subject enquiry service points.

8.Periodicals in other library branches

All periodicals held by Information Services are on UNLOC. They may be consulted in the library in which they are held. Periodicals held in the James Cameron Gifford Library at Sutton Bonington (SB), may be sent across for use in the George Green Library. Individual articles from SB journals may be provided as photocopies but there is a charge, based on the number of pages copied.

9.Periodicals not held by Information Services

If you require articles from periodicals to which we do not subscribe, these can be obtained through Inter-library Loans. There is a charge and undergraduates will need to apply for a quota allocation. Please ask at the Lending Desk.

Please note that copies of articles on reading lists are often held in the Short Loan Reprints Collection even if they are from periodicals we do not hold. They can be located on the UNLOC system by searching under the author’s name or the title of the article or, if your reading list is available online on the Information Services website, via a direct electronic link from within the online list.

IS2312Page 1 of 2

September 2005