What is a periodical index?
What is a Periodical Index?
A periodical index provides access to the periodical literature by organizing the content found in a number of periodical titles considered relevant to the focus of the index - its coverage of a select subject area or discipline. ATLA for example, covers theology, biblical studies, church history, ministry, and denominations.
Some indexes are local to a particular region, such as North America, while others survey periodicals on an international scale, and include publications in languages other than English. The level or depth of coverage by an index depends upon its focus and the periodicals selected for indexing.
Periodical indexes started as paper-based publications that were usually published monthly and then compiled into a yearly volume. They surveyed a select number of titles and organized their content primarily by subject and author. Users went through each volume in search of bibliographical entries.
As user technology evolved, single CD-ROM products replaced paper-based indexes, followed by multiple CD-ROM searching, and from there to online. Periodical databases greatly increased the amount of material that could be searched at one time. They also offered more access points for searching such as keyword and title, and allowed for search terms to be combined when searching. In addition, searches resulted in the immediate retrieval of results. Perhaps their greatest contribution is that they made research possible outside the library.
Without a periodical index, a student would need to find a relevant journal title on the shelf and then go through each issue to see if there were any articles to be found on a specific topic. The chances of success using this method are very low given the high number of periodicals that are published, and the diversity of possible topics. Thus, periodical indexes contribute invaluably to the research process.
Why is a periodical database valuable for research?
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