Google Scholar automatically searches for synonyms and mostly understands the context of your keywords. It does not have many search filters, so it can be more difficult to sort through results than in Library Search and databases. Once you link it to WMU Libraries, you can see which articles are accessible through our library databases.

Text only instructions

1. Click the hamburger menu icon in the top left corner.
2. Click the Settings gear icon.
3. Click Library Links.
4. Search for WMU and select Western Michigan University - WMU Article Linker and Save.

Screenshot

When in doubt, ask a librarian!

Note: Journal articles, news paper articles, and magazine articles are all referred to as periodicals in these style guides because they are published on a regular schedule.

APA Format for a Journal Article

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy

Example

Gottvall, M., Brunell, C., Eldebo, A., Metso, F. J., Jirwe, M., & Carlsson, T. (2023). Post‐migration psychosocial experiences and challenges amongst LGBTQ+ forced migrants: A meta‐synthesis of qualitative reports. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 79(1), 358–371. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15480

Notes

• Author's names are ordered: Last, First Initial
• Only include the year for the date
• The title of the article is in sentence case: Only the first letter and any proper nouns are capitalized
• The journal title is italicized and in Title Case
• The volume number is also italicized
• The issue number is in (parentheses)
• The DOI can be formatted as a link (https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15480) or as a number (DOI: 10.1111/jan.15480). If there is no DOI, use a permalink from the Library Search item record or the database you found it in.
• Create a half-inch hanging indent

MLA Format for a Journal Article

Last, First, and First Last. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. #-#. DOI.

Example

Gottvall, Maria, et al. "Post‐migration Psychosocial Experiences and Challenges Amongst LGBTQ+ Forced Migrants: A Meta‐synthesis of Qualitative Reports." Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 79, no.1, 2023, pp. 358–71. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15480

Notes

• The first author's name is structured as last name, first name. Following authors are listed as first name last name.
  • If there are 3 or more authors, only list the first author followed by et al. (Latin for "and others").
• The title of the article is in Title Case
  • Refer to this page for information on titles within titles
• The title of the journal is in italics and Title Case
• The volume number is noted with vol.
• The issue number is noted with no.
• Only the year is included for academic journal articles
• Page numbers are noted with pp.
  • Omit the first sets of repeated digits. Pages 225 to 251 would be notated as pp. 225-51
  • A single page is notated as a single p.
• The DOI can be formatted as a link (https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15480) or as a number (DOI: 10.1111/jan.15480). If there is no DOI, use a permalink from the Library Search item record or the database you found it in.
• Create a half-inch hanging indent