Journal Title Abbreviations | Steps to Follow up on Citations | Back to Citing Resources
When doing research, you may need to refer to books or articles mentioned in the readings or found through database searches. The procedure for looking up full-text articles or books cited is termed by the Library as "Following up on Citations".
Example of an article citation:
Steve Alexander, "Lessons in e-learning" Computerworld; Oct 8, 2001; Vol. 35, lss. 41; pg. 30, 2 pgs.
This citation is interpreted as: Author's name (Steve Alexander), Article Title (Lessons in e-learning), Publication Title (Computerworld), and some Issue Details (Oct 8, 2001; Vol. 35, lss. 41; pg. 30, 2 pgs).
Journal Title Abbreviations
For some citations, the journal title is abbreviated. You first need to know the full journal titles in order to follow-up using TDNet or OPAC (i.e. determine if the journal is available to NP). You may use the following to translate the abbreviations.
For Biotechnology journals, try any of the following:
Entrez Journals Database : National Center for Biotechnology Information (US). You may search for abbreviations of journals found in the various Entrez databases, e.g. PubMed, Medline, etc.
Journals Indexed in AGRICOLA : National Agricultural Library (US). Search for journals indexed in AGRICOLA, a bibliographic database of citations to the agricultural literature. Use the search option "Abbreviated Title" with "Currently or Previously Indexed" in Display.
Step 1: Check TDNet for the publication
Access TDNet, type the Title (Computerworld) into the Quick Search box to check if the publication is available through NP Library print collection or subscribed online databases. Guide to TDNet
Articles is available online if you see check marks under Full Text Access. Click on that checkbox and look for the article by selecting the volume/issue number. Or if you are brought to a database with search box, type in some words in the article title in the box and search.
If journal is only available in print, i.e. check box appears under Print Holdings, click on the check box to access the OPAC record. Check if the issue/volume (Oct 8, 2001; Vol. 35, lss. 41) is available.
If OPAC shows that the article is available in NP Library, proceed to the Library to borrow or photocopy the article. Please do not violate the copyright rules when photocopying journal articles.
If not available...
Step 2: Check if article is freely available online
Sometimes, the article may be hosted online freely by people or organisations. Use a search engine e.g. Google to search for the article title (Lessons in e-learning). For greater accuracy in searching, you may try putting double quotes before and after title like this: "Lessons in e-learning".
If not available...
Step 3: Check the OPACs of other libraries
You may wish to search other local libraries OPACs to find out if the publication is available there. Search by typing the publication title (Computerworld) into the Title or Keyword search boxes. If the journal is available, check if the issue/volume (Oct 8, 2001; Vol. 35, lss. 41) is available.
You are required to obtain a referral letter from the Reference Counter (Level 3) if you wish to visit these libraries. Please do not violate the copyright rules when photocopying journal articles.
NP staff may request for articles required for official purposes through the Document Supply Service online form. It takes at least 7 to 10 working days (subject to availability) to obtain articles from local libraries and around 15 days to 1 month for articles from the British Library Document Supply Centre.
If still not available...
Step 4: Seek assistance from the Reference Counter
If all the above fail, you may wish to contact us by visiting the Reference Counter (Level 3), emailing your enquiry or calling us at 6460 6290.
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