LIBRARY
Finding music journals and journal articles
Journals are extremely important sources of scholarly writing; they contain the latest research,
scholarship and thinking within a subject area. As they are published frequently (eg monthly or
quarterly) they are usually much more up to date than books.
Articles in journals tend to focus on specific aspects of a subject in much more detail and often cover
topics that will not be written about elsewhere.
Journals (sometimes known as periodicals) have traditionally been published in printed format. Many
now are also available on the internet (these are known as electronic journals or e-journals).
Journal article references
When you find a reference to a journal article, it will look something like this :
Rethinking the music industry
Williamson, John; Cloonan, Martin
Popular music. 2007 May; 26(2): 305-322
This is what each element of the reference means :
Rethinking the music industry
(the title of the journal article)
Williamson, John; Cloonan, Martin
(the authors of the journal article)
Popular music
(the title of the journal in which the article appears)
2007 May
(the date of the journal issue in which the article appears)
26(2)
(the volume and part number)
305-322
(the page numbers)
When you have found the journal, you can look for the volume and part number or the year and date,
and then for the page numbers given in the reference.
How can I find out which journals are available from the Library?
For full information about all the journals you have access to, you can search the Library Catalogue:
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/catalogue.html
 Enter the journal title into the search box
 Click on the Search button or press Enter
 From the menu on the left hand side of the search results screen, select the Electronic and
Printed Journals Catalogue
For electronic journals the Catalogue will provide you with a link to our e-journals
service which will
 tell you what years of the journal are available
 provide links to one or more Web sites where you can access the journal
 give you special instructions on how to access the journal off-campus
WWW.BROOKES.AC.UK/LIBRARY
Note: You can go directly to our e-journals service at http://atoz.ebsco.com/home.asp?Id=oxbun
if you want to search only for electronic journals.
For print journals the Catalogue will tell you
 which library has a particular title
 the journal’s shelfmark
 which years are available
 when the most recent issues were received
Where are the print journals in the Library?
Music journals are housed in the South Gallery on the Second Floor of the Headington Library. They are
arranged by subject shelfmark.
Accessing electronic journals from off-campus
When you are off-campus you will need to go through some extra steps to access electronic journals.
First you will need to log in to your Athens account using your Brookes student or staff number and
your password. Full details are available at http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/athens.html.
Then you may go on to access electronic journals off-campus via the Library Catalogue, our e-journal
service or via the LinkSource service. At this stage, you will sometimes be prompted to log in again.
Most of these extra login screens have large username and password boxes; ignore these and look for
the small link which says ‘Athens login’; click on this link and follow any further instructions.
If you are accessing electronic journals via JSTOR, there are separate instructions available at:
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/offcampusejnls/atozjstorguide.pdf
How do I find out what journal articles have been written on my subject?
The Library Catalogue will not tell you which articles are published within a particular journal or on a
specific topic. To find articles on a particular topic or within a certain journal, use one of the Library’s
wide range of electronic databases.
Some of the databases provide an index to articles across a whole group of journals within a subject
discipline. You can search by keywords or subject headings to find references to articles on your topic.
Searching will provide you with a list of references to then follow up separately. Other databases include
the full text of the journals.
Which database should I use?
The key database for music is RILM. More information about RILM is available from the library guide
RILM: a database guide via the music library web pages at http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/music.html.
JSTOR This database provides an archive of full-text articles from a wide range of academic journals,
including some key music journals. JSTOR does not give access to articles which are less than 3-5
years old but is very useful for older journal articles.
Rock's backpages This is a database of rock music writing and journalism, with material dating from
the early 1960s to the present day. It offers full text access to articles, reviews, and interviews. The
database also includes Mp3 audio files of interviews.
How do I access the databases?
You can get access to these databases from the library music web pages at
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/music/musdb.html. This page also includes links to other databases
which you might find useful for music.
Most of the databases can be accessed on and off campus, but you are likely to need to log in to your
Athens account if you are off-campus - full details are available at
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/athens.html.
You may sometimes be able to link directly from a reference in a database to an electronic version of the
article – if the Library subscribes to an electronic version of the journal. Next to each reference you may
see a green LS icon (for the LinkSource service). You can click on this to check whether we have the
journal in electronic format. If the journal is available in an electronic version, you should be able to follow
the links to access the full text of the article.
How do I obtain articles from journals not available from the Library?
Copies of journal articles not available in print or electronic format from the Library can be requested
through the Interlibrary Loans service. These are usually supplied as photocopies of the articles
requested. A charge is made for this service.
More information is available from the library web pages at
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/lending/obtain.html
More information
If you need any more information or help, please contact your Subject Librarian, Katie Hambrook, by
email, telephone or at her office in the Audio Visual Unit on the Ground Floor of the Headington Library.
Chris Fowler – Academic Liaison Librarian for Music
Headington Library
Oxford Brookes University
Gipsy Lane
Headington
Oxford OX3 0BP
Tel: 01865 485075
Email: cbfowler@brookes.ac.uk
27-05-2015