About Indexes
Each year millions of  periodicals (magazines, journals, and newspapers) publish billions of articles. But you will need to locate only a few specific articles for your research project. 

What exactly can you find in a periodical index? 
Usually you find only citations to articles. A citation is like a pointer. It is the information needed to locate an article within a library - title of magazine, date of publication, and page number. An abstract may be added to the citation, especially in online versions. 

Aren't all indexes basically the same? 
Indexes differ mainly in the specific periodicals they include, not necessarily in the subjects they list or cover. Choose an index based on the type of periodicals in which you want to find articles.   

	Art Index	Reader's Guide
Same movie, same magazine	TITLE: The chambermaid on the Titanic (motion picture review).  SOURCE: Film Quarterly v. 52 no2 (Winter '98-'99) p. 35-40 IL	TITLE: The chambermaid on the Titanic (motion picture review). SOURCE: Film Quarterly v. 52 no2 (Winter '98-'99) p. 35-40 IL
Same movie, different magazines	TITLE: Titanic (motion picture review).  SOURCE: Sight & Sound ns8 (Feb. '98) p. 50-2 IL TITLE: A critic's heart is an ocean of longing.  SOURCE: Film Comment v. 34 (Mar./Apr. '98) p. 20-5 IL TITLE: All hands on deck.  (Filming Titanic) SOURCE: American Cinematographer v. 78 (Dec. '97) p. 30-6+ IL (pt col)	TITLE: Titanic (motion picture review). SOURCE: People Weekly v. 50 no15 (Oct. 26 '98) p. 100 IL TITLE:Titanic (motion picture review). SOURCE: Newsweek v. 131 no15 (Apr. 13 '98) p. 70-1 IL TITLE: Titanic (motion picture review). SOURCE: Rolling Stone no783 (Apr. 2 '98) p. 30 IL