Volume indexes and cumulative indexes

Most journals (the academic periodicals) publish an index to each volume of the journal. In some cases they are published only at the end of the year, with the last issue of the volume. In other cases they are included as a loose insert in one of the early issues of the new, following volume. This means that when you are using a bound volume of a journal you should find an index at the back or in the front of the volume. When you are using an unbound journal look for the index as a loose insert in one of the first issues of the next volume.

Some publishers of journals go one step further: - they publish cumulative indexes. These are indexes that cover not just the current or previous volumes, but earlier volumes over the years. They will be shelved with the journal. Note that these indexes cover that one title only.