Combine Search Terms
Article databases use more advanced search syntax than web search engines. Understanding how they are different can make it easier to manipulate your search results.
Use the Advanced Search option within the database for best results.
AND narrows down your results because it only finds items that include both search terms as a keyword.
Example: college students AND risky behavior
OR expands your results because it finds items that include either one or both search terms as a keyword.
Example: climate change OR climate variability OR environmental impact
NOT makes your results more specific by excluding words that aren't relevant to your search.
Example: renewable energy NOT Solar
Combine each to create a detailed search for very specific resources
Cited references are the articles, books or other materials listed in a bibliography or as works cited in a particular publication. Because citation databases index each reference, it is possible to search these cited references. One can follow a particular cited reference, or cited author, forward in time to find more current articles that have also cited that author or work.
Go to A-Z Database List, select Indexed from the All Database Types dropdown, see example .
What is a DOI?
"A digital object identifier (DOI) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the Internet." -American Psychological Association (APA)
Where can you find a DOI?
You can find the DOI in the search results list or the abstract page for a particular article.
Please Note: not all articles are assigned a DOI's (Digital Object Identifier), see flow chart below for info.
From the Purdue OWL, see how to cite the DOI.
| Scholarly (Refereed, Peer-Reviewed) Journal Articles |
Non-Scholarly (Popular) Journal Articles |
|
|---|---|---|
| Definition |
Scholarly articles are "peer-reviewed" by other experts in the field. Are also sometimes called "refereed articles." |
Non-scholarly articles are meant to inform or entertain readers rather than provide in-depth analysis. |
| Content | Content of articles usually reports on original research or experimentation. | Content of articles often reports on other research or events rather than presenting original research. |
| Bibliography | Articles usually list references in footnotes or endnotes. | Articles are seldom footnoted and the source of information is seldom given. |
| Illustrations | Illustrations, if any, are usually graphs and charts that support the subject content. | Often are illustrated with glossy or color photographs. |
| Author(s) | Articles are written by experts in the field. | Authors are usually on the staff of the magazine or are freelance writers. Author's name is often not supplied |
| Length/Depth | Articles are generally long and contain in-depth coverage of the topic. | Articles are often short and intended to provide an overview of a topic rather than an in-depth analysis. |
| Advertising | Contain few if any advertisements. | Usually contain many advertisements. |
| Publisher | Frequently, articles are published by a scholarly professional organization (e.g. American Chemical Society, American Psychological Association). | Publishers are marketing to the general public and usually make their publications available in stores and newsstands. |
| Language | Authors write in the language of their discipline. Readers are assumed to have some knowledge of the field. | Articles are directed towards the general public and written in non-technical language. |
Access tools help locate primary and secondary sources. Some types of access tools are:
| Databases | Bibliographies |
| Subject Guides | Online Catalogs |
| Subject Directories | Search Engines |
There are three types of sources used in research: Primary, Secondary and Access Tools.
A primary source is a firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. Primary sources are written or created during the time period being studied, or by a person directly involved in the event. Primary sources offer an inside view of a particular event or time period. Some types of primary sources are:
| Original Documents | Creative Works | Artifacts |
|---|---|---|
| Diaries | Novels | Jewelry |
| Speeches | Music | Tools |
| Letters | Films | Pottery |
| Meeting Minutes | Visual Art | Clothing |
| Interviews | Poetry | Buildings |
| Research Data | Performing Arts | Furniture |
| Autobiographies | Film | Footage |
A Secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. Secondary sources are one step removed from the primary sources. Some types of secondary sources are:
| Textbooks | Journal Articles | Commentaries |
| Bibliographies | Criticism | Histories |
| Encyclopedias | Book Reviews |
