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How To Search the Library Collections

A guide to basic research skills, and how to access the Library Collections at CityU

By Title

The fastest way to find an item is to copy and paste the title into the search bar on the library homepage. 

Example search:  Happiness is from the soul: The nature and origins of our happiness concept

the library home page search bar

If the library has it in the collection, it should be in the first few results. If you don’t see it, proceed to the Interlibrary Loan page.

Journal articles can also be found using the Journal Finder tool. If you have a full citation, use the journal title to search for the volume and issue where you will find your article. This is an alternative that allows you to see other articles in that issue and potentially discover other articles related to your topic.  You can also search within a journal using keywords. 

Make note of the Journal title, as well as the volume and issue information. 

Copy and paste the title of the journal into the Journal Finder. Use the instructions in the following box to continue searching for your item.

Through the Find a Journal tool

Find a specific journal by title using the Search and Request tab and select Find a Journal.

open search and request tab and select Find a Journal

Journal Finder search bar and results

Click through to access the journal, and select the year, volume, and issue from your citation. 

Review the articles in the individual journal to find the one needed OR search for your title  or relevant keywords, using the "search within this publication" field. 

Here's an example from a ProQuest database; other databases may look slightly different, but will function in a similar way.

an example from a ProQuest database with highlighted search fields

You can find a short video of this process below.

Databasics: Find a Journal