Question

What are Journals, Articles, Databases?

Answer

Lots of folks get tripped up by the terms Journal, Article, and Database.  What do these terms mean in the Library?

Libraries mean specific things by the terms Journal, Article, and Database.

Basically, Articles are published in Journals, which are indexed in Databases.

Article

An article is a published academic text, often peer-reviewed, further cited in subsequent academic publications.  

Journal

A journal is a periodical text, often peer-reviewed, published by institutions or companies. 

Database

A database is a discovery system to search or browse for articles.

Search for Articles, Journals, Databases

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  • updated: Dec 08, 2025
  • views: 1831

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