Recreation Administration Research Guide

Created by Karen Caputo, Limestone University Library

Finding Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

When it comes to searching for scholarly, peer-reviewed articles, you have 3 main options: 

1. OneSearch - use the library's discovery tool on the library homepage to find articles (as well as books and other library resources). 

2. Recommended Databases - search one or more of these individually to focus your results. Each database provides access to different journals.

3. Google Scholar - cast a wide net and search for articles across the web; just remember to change your settings so that you get access to the full text!

Try more than one of the options above. No one is better than another, but they may yield different results. Learn more about finding these articles using the pages on the left. 

Finding Journals

To find out if the library subscribes to a specific journal, magazine, or newspaper, use our Journal Search.*

Below are links to the library's holdings for a few journals related to tourism. Click on the Online Access link to log in and search for specific articles. *Keep in mind that if you are looking for articles on your topic and do not want to limit your search to one specific journal or periodical, you should use the tools listed on the searching for scholarly articles page. 

• Annals of Tourism Research
• Journal of Travel Research
• Tourism Management 
• Journal of Leisure Research
• Journal of Sustainable Tourism (library does not subscribe, but you can search for articles on the journal's site and request them through interlibrary loan)
• Leisure Sciences
• Journal of Park and Recreation Administration
• International Journal of Event and Festival Management     
• International Journal of Hospitality Management
• Cornell Hospitality Quarterly 

There are a lot of different types of popular sources, including websites, newspapers and news sites, and magazines. The library subscribes to many magazines and newspapers, so if you're searching the web and run across a request for payment or subscription, check to see if the library has it.

1. OneSearch - use the library's discovery tool on the library homepage to find magazine and newspaper articles. If you find an article online but can't get access, copy/paste the title into OneSearch to see if the library has it. 

2. Newspaper Databases - try searching for news articles in our databases (log in required)

3. Web Search - try news sites like NPR.org or professional association websites for news related to your subject area. Just be careful what sites you are using and consider their currency, relevance to your topic, who created it and their credentials or authority on the topic, how accurate or reliable it is, and consider its purpose - was it created to inform, sell you something, or entertain? 
   
   On many news sites, you can also search for all articles on a particular topic. For example, this page has all of the recent New York Times articles on Southwest Airlines and this page has everything on Southwest from NPR. 

Trade Publications

A trade publication is a regularly published collection of articles that address topics of interest to members of a particular profession. Authors are usually members of the profession and articles are focused on current topics and developments in the field. They may include job ads, conference announcements, and ads for products used by professionals in the profession. 

Selected Trade Publications & Websites

• Travel Weekly (available in print at the library) and Travel Weekly.com provides travel professionals with a necessary global perspective through in-depth coverage of every business sector, including airline, car rental, cruise, destination, hotel and tour operator as well as technology, economic and governmental issues.
• Hotel Management (available online from the library) website has the most current issue of magazine and other information. 
• Travel Agent (available online from the library)
• Parks and Recreation magazine (available online from the library) website has additional content. Official publication of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). 
• Travel Advisor Magazine available online. Official publication of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA)

Finding Trade Publications

Some trade publications will be freely available online. Others requirement membership or subscription to access. While the Cal Poly Humboldt library mostly collects scholarly/academic publications, you can find some trade publications in our databases. 

1. Choose a database that covers many different subject areas, such as Academic Search Premier or you may want to choose a database specific to your subject/topic, such as recreation administration or business.  
2. Type in your keywords.  Keep your search simple. You may need to be very broad in your search (e.g. tourism, hotels, recreation, parks, airlines). 
3. When you get your results, go to Source Types > Trade Publications on the left side of the page. 
4. Not finding trade publications?  You may need to try different keywords, or your database might not contain trade publications. Ask a librarian for help.