Scholarly Credentials Toolkit for TCNJ Faculty: Other Options

Navigate this libguide from the TOC below or the blue tabs (and sub-tabs) above.

UlrichsWeb is the digital analog of the longstanding Ulrich's Periodicals Directory in print. It provides comprehensive information about hundreds of thousands of journals, including both active and ceased titles. Search for a journal by keyword(s) or ISSN. Limit your results to place of publication, journal topic, refereed designation, and so forth. Each journal record contains the following information:

• ISSN number, a unique journal identifier (necessary for a "clean" search in WorldCat);
• subscription numbers (indicator of reach);
• refereed designation (indicator of quality);
• subject classification, content description and topics covered;
• abstracting and indexing sources (indicator of reach and quality as the more places a journal is indexed the greater the chances scholars will discover and read its content);
• indication of inclusion in Journal Citation Reports (indicator of quality, though many important journals, particularly in the humanities, are not covered by JCR); and
• journal reviews (indicator of quality, but keep in mind that librarian-oriented reviews are sometimes unwelcome by disciplinary tenure committees).

WorldCat is a library "union catalog." It contains tens of millions of bibliographic records contributed by thousands of professional cataloging librarians in the United States and beyond. In addition to journals, the database describes books, manuscripts and archival materials, maps, scores, videos, and many other material types held by libraries. WorldCat provides the truest indication of the total number of libraries that subscribe to a particular journal, a quantitative indicator impossible to manipulate (as with, for example, online book reviews).

Search WorldCat by the journal's current ISSN number, if known. You may perform a title search, but realize that doing so will potentially yield dozens of records for the same journal, reflecting among other factors name changes over the years. If you do not know the ISSN number use Ulrichsweb to obtain it. Even a "clean" ISSN search can result in more than one record for a particular journal title. This is because, as mentioned above, thousands of libraries contribute records to WorldCat. When hundreds of libraries catalog a single source multiple records are often created. Stick with an ISSN search for best results.

Follow these steps to search WorldCat:

• Choose the "Advanced" search option.
• In the options labeled "Limit type to", click on "Serial Publications". This eliminates results that include books compiled from the journal's articles.
• Enter the ISSN number in the first blank line labeled "Search for". In the corresponding search type field (displaying "Keyword" by default), click on the down arrow and choose "Standard Number" as the search type. Execute the search. 

Again, more than one record for the journal could display. Total up the number of "Libraries Worldwide" for each record you feel reflects the journal in question. You might also wish to take note of which types of libraries—public, special, or hopefully academic—subscribe to the journal.