Tips for Success in Searching Online Article Databases

Give Yourself Plenty of Time.

The computers sometimes run very slowly. Try to do your searches at least one week before the assignment is due, in case you run into computer slowdown.

Bring a Storage Device (Diskette or Flash Drive) and a Vendacard (print card - $0.05/page).

Most of the databases let you print, save, and e-mail yourself articles. However:

Some images (drawings, photos, etc.) can not be saved, only printed.
Sometimes the printer is temporarily out-of-order.
The e-mail function may not be available or not working.

Use the Right Database(s).

Use the Table of Contents at the top of the Online Article Databases page.
Read the database summaries. They will tell you the subject matter and resources found in each database. You won’t find articles about literature in a business database!
You may need to experiment with more than one database.

Limit the Search to Full-Text, if Needed.

Some databases are a mix of full-text (you can read the article on the computer) and abstracts (you can only see a one-paragraph summary of the article).

Is your database such a mix? Then limit your search to full-text articles by clicking on a box in front of the words "full-text" or "to articles with text."

Looking for Professional Journals?

Some databases will let you limit your search results to journal articles only.

Look in the "Limit" section of the search screen for terms like "Professional," "Scholarly," "Peer-Reviewed," or "Refereed" Periodicals. These are journals.
Click in the box in front of the term to limit your search results to journals.

Experiment with Search Terms.

Different databases may use different terms for the same subject.

Example: capital punishment OR death penalty

If one term does not work, try a similar but different term.

Start with a Subject Search.
If this Fails, then Try a Keyword Search.

The Subject search option may be on the opening screen of the database or on a more advanced search screen ( look for "advanced," "guided search," etc.).

A Subject search is very precise and searches a limited index of subject headings/terms. If it does not find the exact term that you typed in, it tells you there are no articles. This may not be the case!

Try a Keyword search. This is a broader search. It will look for your search terms in the subject heading, title, and abstract (summary) of each article in the database.

Use a Boolean Operator.

A what?? A Boolean operator is a command such as AND. The command OR is another Boolean operator. Operators allow you to combine search terms. The AND command narrows a search; OR broadens a search.

Examples:

alcohol AND pregnancy (Finds all articles that talk about alcohol AND pregnancy in the same article.)

children OR teenagers (Finds all articles that talk about children. Also finds all articles that talk about teenagers.)

Always CAPITALIZE an operator.
Only use operators with Keyword searches.

Save as "Text," "All files," ".", or "P.D.F."

Warning! When you save a P.D.F. file, you may not be saving the complete citation information. Make sure to write down the citation information.
Do not save articles as Web pages or H.T.M. or H.T.M.L. files!
In the Save box, change the Save-as-Type to "all files," "*.*" or "text files."