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The best way to find newspaper articles is to use a newspaper index, which are available in both print and computerized formats. Print newspaper indexes are published quarterly (with annual cumulations), and cite news stories from only one newspaper. The citations contain the date, section, page and column number, and length of the article. Unlike periodical indexes, however, print newspaper indexes do not give the title or headline of the story. Instead, a brief summary of the article is given. Computerized newspaper indexes are significantly different from their print counterparts in terms of scope and features. Computerized versions have a broader scope (i.e. they cover several years instead of one year at a time), often index more than one newspaper, and offer significant amounts of full-text. In terms of features, they offer keyword searching using logical operators, searching by specific fields of a record, and limiting results by date. They also allow you to print, download, and sometimes e-mail citations and/or text. As with periodical indexes, it is important to know when to use a print newspaper index instead of a computerized version. In general, you will have to use a print index if the topic you're researching was in the news prior to 1985. Also keep in mind that if you're researching a topic from pre-1985, the newspaper articles themselves will probably only be available from your library's microfilm collection. One final point about using newspapers and newspaper indexes. Nationally
prominent newspapers, such as the New York Times or Washington
Post, publish different editions, i.e. versions, of each day's
paper. There may be regional editions (national, east coast, west
coast), or editions varying by time of day (morning, evening, late).
The edition you read depends on the edition of the newspaper made
available at your library. Newspapers usually indicate their edition
at the upper right hand corner of the front page, or, if using a
computerized index with full-text, in a separate field of the bibliographic
record.
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