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Shepard Library Orientation: Find Journals

A guide to using Shepard Library and its resources, aimed at first year and transfer students.

Logging in from off campus?

For best results when searching Shepard Library from off campus, log into EZ Proxy first. From the Shepard Library homepage click on the link for Off Campus Access, there you find directions at the top of the page on how to log in from off campus. Click here for off campus access instructions.

Using the Shepard Library Catalog from Off Campus?

For best results when searching Shepard Library catalog from off campus, log into NCCU's WebVPN. From the Shepard Library homepage click on the link for Off Campus Access, there you find directions at the top of the page on how to log in from off campus. Click here for off campus access to the WebVPN.

How to find journal articles at Shepard Library

1. Search for your topic in a database (like Academic Search Complete).

Use keywords. For example, if your topic is women's roles in the political system of Iraq, your search might be "women and politics and Iraq."

2. If the articles you find are in full text, you can read them, save them, e-mail them, or print them immediately.

Otherwise, save the citation information: article title, article authors, journal title, date, volume/issue, and page numbers.

3. Look for the journal title in Journal Finder. If we have that journal, check to see if it is in electronic (computer icon) or print (book icon) format.

4. For electronic format, click on the computer icon. Check the dates to make sure we have the dates you need. Click on the database title, then conduct a search or look through the issues to find your article.

5. For print format (this includes microfilm and microfiche), click on the book icon to see the catalog record, which will tell you what dates we have. Make sure your article's date is covered.

  • If your article has been published in the last year, or is in microfiche/microfilm, it will be on the 2nd floor in the Serials Department.
  • If it is in paper format but older than a year, it will be on the 3rd floor with bound journals.
  • In both places, journals are shelved alphabetically by journal title.

6. At any point, please ask us for help if you need it!!

Journal Finder Search Box
advanced search



Use Journal Finder to search for any journal (print or electronic) in the Shepard Library collection. You must search by the journal title, NOT the article title.

Databases to Start With

Shepard Library databases are reliable sources for a wide variety of information: journal articles, newspaper/magazine articles, reference material, statistics, and consumer information can all be found at our Alphabetical List of Databases.

The number of databases can be overwhelming, so listed below are some excellent starting points for a wide variety of research.