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Searching a database is different than typing your question into Google.
You need to be precise in your language and communicate using the language of the database.
You can learn to be an expert searcher with these strategies.
Search Steps
Searching for information is a process.
1. Define your question or topic
2. Identify the type of information you need on that topic
Does it need to be peer-reviewed? From the last five years? Related to a certain field?
3. Brainstorm keywords and search terms
4. Decide where to search
Online? In Spartan Search? In a subject specific database?
5. Search and then adjust your search based on results
Look at abstracts to get a sense of whether a source will fit your needs without having to read the whole thing!
7. Save your finds by downloading a copy, saving the permalink, or emailing it to yourself
Search Tips
Keywords
Identify keywords for your topic and brainstorm narrower, broader, and related terms.
Example: Factors that affect academic performance in first-generation college students.
Academic Performance
College
First-Generation Students
Student Success
Higher Education
Children of Immigrants
Student Achievement
University
Minority Students
Learning Outcomes
Community College
Nontraditional Students
Boolean Operators
Typing the Boolean Operators AND, OR, and NOT into the library catalog or databases allow you to broaden or narrow your results.
Found too many results?
Add more keywords.
Adding additional keywords to your search can help to further narrow your topic.
Example: college AND first-generation students AND academic performance
Found too few results?
Use OR.
Broaden your search by using OR to link your terms.
Example: (college OR higher education OR university) AND first-generation students AND (academic performance OR student success)
Citation Chasing
Citation Chasing and "Cited By" Searching
Once you find a good article:
Look at its References and find other articles that have cited it
In Spartan Search, click the red arrows next to the article's title to find the article's References (the downward-facing arrow), and articles that have cited this title (the upward-facing arrow)
Academic Search Complete is a scholarly, multi-disciplinary database providing information on a wide range of subjects. It contains full-text access to peer-reviewed journals, magazines, monographs, reports, and conference proceedings as well as indexing and abstracts for thousands of publications.
CQ Researcher provides comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news. Each single-themed report is researched, footnoted and fact checked, and contains an introductory overview; a background and chronology on the topic; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; a pro/con debate by representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources.
Subjects: health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, environment, technology, economy, political science
Content: reports
Publication dates: 1996 - present
Issues & Controversies offers in-depth pro/con articles exploring hundreds of current topics in politics, government, business, society, education, and popular culture. It features key facts, arguments, history, and current context of timely issues and provides infographics, court cases, editorial cartoons, graphs and charts, and editorials.
Subjects: communication, criminal justice, education, english, latin-american studies, media studies, political science, sociology, speech communication
Content: journals, government documents, newspapers
Publication dates: 1995 - present