Music: Find Articles

If the article you have found in a database doesn't have the full-text right there, click on the button to see if the article is available in full-text in another database. If we do have it, it will take you to a page that shows you where it's available (if you see a Download Article link, you can click to access the electronic copy).

If you have the citation for a specific article, here is how you can figure out if PSU has the article and (if we do) get to it in full-text:

     1. Using Google Scholar, enter the title of the article in the search box.

     2. If we have the article, there will be a link to the right of the result in Google Scholar that says Find it @ PSU.  Click this link.

     3. If the article is available online, it will show you what database or databases hold the journal that contains the article and what years are available electronically. You can then click on the Download Article link, or, if it that link is unavailable, click on the title of the database to get to the online journal and then browse by date or search by title (depending on the database) for your article.

     4. If the journal is in print, it will show you the call number and location under Find & Request.

If PSU does not have access to full-text, you may be able to request the article through interlibrary loan.

While the Portland State Library has a large collection of books, articles, and journals, we may not have a specific item you are looking for. In that case, you may be able to get it for you from another library.

• If you find an item in the catalog and our copy is not available you can Request from other libraries

These are likely to be the best online sources in which to start your music research.

The first thing you should do when you have a research assignment is figure out what types of article sources are required or allowed. Some professors require you to use only scholarly peer-reviewed journals while others might let you use professional journals (also known as trade journals.

Scholarly article - written by an expert in the field and reviewed by peers who are experts in the same area. In many databases, you can limit your search to scholarly, peer-reviewed or refereed journals to weed out any non-scholarly content.

Professional/trade article - Trade or professional journals can have articles written by experts in the field or by staff writers. The articles are only reviewed by editors for style, so they go through a less rigorous review process. The articles often do not contain reference lists.

Popular journals - Written for a general audience rather than for professionals or scholars. Examples include The New Yorker, People, and Rolling Stone.