Ask Us: Truxal Library Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Finding Materials from Citations guide is being revised. In the meantime, please consult these abbreviated instructions or contact the Reference Desk for assistance. (03/31/2026)

1. Determine the type of source: is it a book? Article? Something else?
   • Look for clues in the citation – a publisher name often indicates a book, while a periodical title may indicate a journal, magazine or newspaper.
   • Consult examples in our Citation Guide to help you identify the format of the cited material.
2. For books or chapters/articles from books:
   • Use the library catalog to look up the book title; you may need to include the author's name to narrow down.
   • If your citation is for a specific chapter or section, use the table of contents or the page numbers from the citation to locate that particular source inside the book.
3. For periodical articles:
   • Does the citation contain a direct link? Try it out. (If you hit a paywall, try the next steps.)
   • Does the citation list a database name, such as JSTOR or Gale Academic OneFile? Open that database from our Databases A-Z list, then search for the article title. If the title isn't very specific, try putting it in quotation marks or adding the author or periodical name to your search terms.
   • If the article is paywalled and you don't know what database it might be in, search for the periodical title in our databases. (Make sure to use the journal, magazine, or newspaper title – not the title of the specific article! So if your citation begins, Herbert, Bob. “Two Different Worlds.” New York Times…, you'd look up “new york times.”)
     • For more help, see this FAQ: How can I find a specific journal, magazine, or newspaper in the databases?
4. Can't find it? Ask us!
   • Reach out in person, via chat, by e-mail… – we're happy to help you track down a source!
   • Even if a book or article isn't in our collection, we can usually get it for you via interlibrary loan.