Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a citation, abstract and full text of a database article?

Citations in the library databases give publication information about the article--title, author, date, and source of publication. Use this information in your References (APA) or Works Cited (MLA) list.

Abstracts are brief summaries of articles that are also given in the databases, particularly for journal articles. These are helpful in deciding what sources to select but they are only summaries.

Full text of a database article gives you the full article, which may be either in HTML or PDF--you can view, print, save, or email it. The PDF full-text version of the article includes page numbers to use when citing your source.  Use full text articles as sources for your assignments.