To choose the best periodical index for your search topic, think about the following:

1. topic of your research Some indexes cover many topics, while others emphasize one topic in particular.

2. type of article you need Some indexes only include articles from general interest magazines and newspapers, while others index mostly scholarly journals.

3. time frame of your research In deciding what time periods to cover in your assignment, think about the purposes of your research. Do you need examples of what people thought about the subject at a specific time in the past? When performing historical research, you may want to use print indexes that cover the time period in history in which you are interested.

4. currency of the article you need Do you need only the most recent information? Some online databases include today's news and very recent journal articles. In others, the most recent articles might be a few months old.