Finding newspaper and magazine articles

Using newspapers and magazines for research

Newspapers and magazines offer unique benefits for scholarly research.

• Timeliness and currency of information
  Newspapers provide up-to-date information on a wide range of topics and cover current affairs and events, and emerging trends, offering insights into recent developments in society, politics, business, science, and more.
  
• Diversity of perspectives and opinions
  Newspapers and magazines represent a diverse array of perspectives, as they feature articles written by journalists, experts, commentators, and individuals with first-hand experience in various fields. Engaging with these sources encourages critical thinking while you explore different viewpoints and gain a broader understanding of the topic you are researching.
  
• Real-life examples and case studies
  Newspapers and magazines often provide concrete illustrations of concepts, theories, and phenomena discussed in academic literature. By incorporating such examples, you can strengthen your arguments, provide context, and demonstrate the real-world applications of your research.
  
• Primary source material
  Newspapers and magazines often serve as primary sources for historical research. Gain insights into the prevailing attitudes, beliefs, and cultural contexts of a particular era by examining original news articles, editorials, interviews, and advertisements from the past.
  
• Popular or emerging trends
  Magazines cover a wide range of topics, including fashion, entertainment, technology, lifestyle, and more. Researching magazines can be valuable for fields such as marketing, consumer behaviour, design, and cultural studies, as these sources provide insights into societal preferences, consumer habits, and emerging cultural phenomena.

How to search for newspapers and magazines

Search the Library’s collections of newspapers and magazines using three key methods.

• Use any of the databases in the Library’s news services platforms or magazine platforms to search multiple newspaper or magazine titles at the same time. Use keywords to search by topic within these databases.

• Use the Library catalogue or Journal Search to find specific newspapers or magazines by publication title or ISSN (International Standard Serial Number). Click the link for online access, or if available in print, identify the call number and use this to locate the publication on the shelves.
• Access some of the University’s student magazines, such as Hermes and Honi Soit, via the Library’s digital collections platform.

• For articles hosted by our key news databases (e.g. ProQuest, Factiva, & Gale), you may be able to search by article title using advanced search, limiting material type to newspaper articles.
• For online articles available through the Library catalogue, use the article title, author, and edition and page information provided in the citation to search within the newspaper or magazine.
• For print articles available within the Library, identify the call number in the Library catalogue record and use this to find the publication on the shelves. Locate the article within the publication using the article title, author, and edition and page information provided in the citation.
• For print articles available in the storage collection, use the online form to request the article using its title, author, and edition and page information provided in the citation.
• For microform articles, identify the call number in the Library catalogue record, use this to find the publication on the shelves, and take to the microform readers on Level 1 of Fisher Library.

Searching beyond University of Sydney Library collections

As there are many resources beyond the Library’s collections that will be useful for research, consider using the collections in national, state, and local libraries, archives services, and commercial platforms.

Remember, while newspapers and magazines offer valuable information, it is essential to critically evaluate their reliability and credibility, just as you would with any other source. Always consider the publication's reputation, the qualifications of the authors, and any potential biases that may influence the content.