Finding and Retrieving Materials on Campus: Journals and Articles

In Library Catalogs: Search for the Name of the Journal, not the Name of the Article

• ​Individual articles do not have their own record in library catalogs. This means that when you are looking for an article in the MLaw Catalog or U-M Library Search, you need to figure out the journal in which it was published and search for that title.
• If you do not know the title of the journal publication, you may want to find the citation information for the article by consulting a periodical index.

Locate Articles According to the Author or Subject Using a Periodical Index

• Periodical Indexes can be searched by subject or by author.
• A Periodical Index will include citation information for articles, including article title, author, journal title, volume and issue, date, pages, and additional information.
• Some Periodical Indexes contain the full-text of the articles themselves, but many are simply collections of citations.
  • Once you have the citation information for the article, you can search for the journal title in a catalog.
  • If the journal title is in the catalog, be sure to check whether the right volume and issue numbers are present in the collection.

Useful Periodical Indexes for Legal Research

• Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals. Indexes articles and book reviews from more than 500 legal periodicals. Topics indexed include international law (public and private), comparative law, and municipal law of countries other than the United States, British Isles, and British Commonwealth.
• ABI/INFORM Global. Indexing and abstracts for over 2,830 business and management-oriented periodicals, with full text for articles from over 1,850 of them.
• Index to Legal Periodicals and Books. Indexes books and articles from hundreds of law reviews, legal journals, yearbooks, institutes, monographs, bar association publications, and government publications originating in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
• ProQuest Research Library. Full-text articles, abstracts, and article citations from over 1500 journals, U.S. and foreign, as well as historical newspapers.
• For a full listing of Periodical Indexes in the MLaw Collection, go to the E-Resources page. Under "Browse E-Resources by..." Category, select "Journal Indexes." 

Periodical Indexes in the U-M Library Collection

• Periodical indexes in the U-M Library collection can be found in the catalog (using U-M Library Catalog Search), in databases (using U-M Library Database Search), and in online journals (using U-M Library Online Journals Search). 
• Use limiters like keywords and subjects to narrow the results.
• Major Periodical Indexes with a non-legal focus include JSTOR, PubMed, and Web of Science.

Print Journals

• Locate physical journals in the Law Library by conducting an Advanced Search of the catalog, and limit the Location to Journals and search for the journal title.
• The Journals section of the Underground Library is the movable compact shelving on S-3.

Digital Journals

• To search the Catalog for journals with online access, limit the Location to Web and search for the journal title.
  • Available journals include links to their location within external databases, like ProQuest Ebook Central or HeinOnline.
  • Some online journal subscriptions do not provide access to the most recent issues. In these cases, submit an ILL request for desired articles through your MLaw or home library ILL account.
• Find electronic journals according to title using the E-Journals List.
• The Law Library subscribes to many full-text journal databases, including HeinOnline and Nexis Uni.
  • For a full listing of such databases, visit the Full Text Journals category of e-resources.

Articles

• Remember: individual articles do not have records in the Catalog. Search the Catalog for the journal title, and find the article therein.
• Use Find an Electronic Article to get a direct link (if available). This is a good option if you have the citation information for an article

Article Delivery

• MLaw students can request to have articles scanned out of physical journals.
  • In the catalog record, click the yellow Request a Scan button, and login using your umich ID number.
  • Indicate which volume and issue and what pages you need scanned.
• Non-MLaw students and patrons can request article scans through ILL of their home library (U-M Library, for U-M students)​

Just like the book collection, the University Library journal collection is the place to search for non-legal subject matter.

Print Journals

Find physical journals in campus libraries using the U-M Library Catalog Advanced Search function

• Limit the Format to Journal and/or Serial.
  • Search for title, keyword, or other facets.
  • Further limit your results according to Library, Location, Academic Discipline, etc.
• The Location of physical journals will be an actual library, as opposed to Electronic Resource.

Digital Journals

You can use the same Advanced Search described above to find electronic journals.

• Limit the Format to Journal.
• Among the results, look for items with the Location Electronic Resource.

Find online journals on the U-M Library site using U-M Library Online Journals Search.

• ​Under the Online Journals tab, select the Advanced Search option
  • Search for the title, subject, and/or academic discipline of the journal
  • With more subjects or academic disciplines selected, you will receive fewer results with a greater focus.
  • Select one or more Academic Disciplines and click Search to browse available online journals in this area.

The U-M Library subscribes to many full-text journal databases. Major non-legal journals databases that have been used frequently include:

• JSTOR. Full-text journal databases covering many subject areas in social sciences, humanities and natural sciences. Original PDF images. Some journals go back to 1890s.
• ProQuest. Allows you to search over 1,500 journals in many subject areas including social sciences, humanities, health sciences, etc., mostly starting from 1970s.
• PubMed. Covers many subject areas with a strong focus on medical sciences, health sciences, and biomedical areas. 1950-present.
• Web of Science. Allows you to search across multiple databases in humanities, social sciences, health sciences, business, information sciences, etc. 1900-present.

Article Delivery

Like books, eligible journals in U-M Library Search each have a "Get This" button, which leads to four options

• Self-Service
  • Find the item in the library yourself
  • This option is not always available (e.g., patrons cannot retrieve items themselves from Buhr Remote Shelving)
• Library-to-Library
  • Have the item available at the circulation desk of a number of U-M libraries (including those where the book is not shelved)
  • The Law Library is not an option
• Delivery
  • Set up a preferred delivery location in your U-M ILL account (MLaw students also have a Law Library ILL account)
  • Only MLaw students, faculty, and staff, U-M faculty, and U-M Regents may set the Law Library as their preferred site
    • Items delivered to Smith may be picked up at the Circulation Desk
• Scanning
  • Have a small portion of a journal (e.g., a single article) scanned and emailed to you (within the limitations of copyright)

Use MGet It Citation Linker to Go Directly to a Journal Article

• Enter as much citation information as you have into the various fields.
• MGet It will link you directly to journal articles that are available through electronic resources.

  Call us at 734-764-9324

 Text us at 734-329-5606

 Tweet @ us!

  Email us at askalawlibrarian@umich.edu. Emails are answered by Librarians during standard business hours, Monday-Friday. Patrons may expect a response within 1-2 business days for most emails.

  Consult with us. Schedule an appointment to meet with a Reference Librarian.

  Visit us at the Information Desk on Sub-1 for immediate in-person assistance. Open 8 am - midnight, Sunday-Thursday, and 8am - 10pm, Friday-Saturday*

The chat service is available to all of our patrons but is designed to meet the legal research needs of U-M students, staff, and faculty.

Chat is monitored from 1-6 pm Monday-Wednesday and 1-5 pm Thursday-Friday on days when class is in session.

*Excluding University holidays and semester breaks--check library hours for more information. The Building and library are available to law school community ONLY after 6 pm, and are closed to all but law school community on home football Saturdays.