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Social Sciences

TU Dublin Library Resources for Social Sciences Students

What are Journals?

In the library / publishing, a journal can refer to various newspapers, magazines, periodicals or serials. 

Examples of journals can be: 

Academic journal - Peer-reviewed academic and scholarly periodicals.
Scientific journal - an academic journal focusing on scientific subjects such as biology. 
Medical journal -  an academic journal focusing on medicine

Magazine - a generic catch-all term referring to non-academic or scholarly periodicals in general
Trade magazine -  a magazine of interest to those of a particular profession or trade
Literary magazine - a magazine devoted to literature in a broad sense
Newspaper - a periodical covering general news and current events in politics, business, sports and art.
Gazette - a type of newspaper, often a newspaper of record.
Government report or gazette - a government newspaper which publishes public or legal notices.

TU Dublin Library Services subscribes to a wide variety of all the above types of journals in order to help staff and students keep up with the most recent developments in the subjects they are studying/working in. They may be in hard-copy print format, or online via our webpages, or both. 

To search for a specific journal title on our catalogue, simply specify "Journal Title" in the drop-down arrow on the library catalogue, and type in the title you are looking for. Alternatively, you can search for a title on the E-Journal page as well. 

What are Databases?

Essentially a Database is a collection of data stored electronically, that can be searched and retrieved. In the majority of cases, the databases that TU Dublin Library subscribes to allow access to peer-reviewed journal articles. Many also allow access to conference proceedings, newspaper articles, books reviews, journal archives, music, and much more. 

The TU Dublin Library Database A-Z lists all the different databases available to TU Dublin staff and students. They can be accessed by clicking the links in the list. 

How to Search for Journal Articles