How do I?
Use the tabs above or the links below to navigate the guide.
- Get started
- Get Search Tips
- Evaluate Websites
- Use Academic Search Complete
- Find Books & e-books
- Cite My Sources
- Get Help
Search Tips
Identify Your Keywords
Select the most important 2-3 keywords. These are terms related to your topic. For instance, let's say your argument essay debates if global warming is affecting people in the tropics. Your keywords could be:
global warming, people, tropics
Compose Your Search String
In order to find information in a database, you must create a search string. This is a combination of keywords and search operators (e.g. AND, OR, *) that tells the database the information you want to receive. Here are a few tips:
1. Use quotation marks ( " " ) around phrases (two or more words); this tells the database to look for the words in a specific order.
"global warming"
2. Put the word AND between each new keyword or phrase; this tells the database to look for resources with ALL your keywords.
"global warming" AND atmosphere
3. Put the word OR between two or more keywords to find articles that use common synonyms for your topic.
"global warming" OR "climate change"
4. Use an asterisk ( * ) to find multiple versions of one keyword. For example, using pollut* as a search term will include results that refer to pollute, pollutes, polluted, polluting, and pollution.
pollut*
Search Examples
Searching Library Databases
Where do I find articles?
Articles are published in periodicals, which is any type of publication published at a regular interval (weeks, months, etc.). Periodical types include magazines, newspapers, trade publications, and scholarly journals. It is important to understand what kind of periodical will have the articles you need. More information on finding peer-reviewed articles.