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General Databases

Page history last edited by Rietta Pew 2 wks ago

FrontPage 

Article databases 

 

The full EWU list of databases can be found at "Databases A-Z" http://www.ewu.edu/x41144.xml

The full WSU list of databases can be found at "Article Indexes/E-Journals"  http://www.systems.wsu.edu/griffin/indexes.htm

 

 

 

GENERAL DATABASES

These are databases that cover many different subjects.

  • Proquest  Research Library[EWU link] 
  • Academic Search Premier  [EWU link] [WSU link]    
    •       by EBSCO 
  • OmniFile Full Text Mega [EWU link]
    • by WilsonWeb  EWU only)
  • JSTOR [EWU link] [WSU link]
    • Provides an option to narrow search by including a list of search terms to the left of the results.
    • Allows you to limit the results to articles that have a biblioagraphy.
    • Allows you to search the bibliography.
    • Notes and lists those articles within the database, that have referenced each article.
    • Allows you to search by journal issue, to review the table of contents of each journal issue.
    • Provides you with a visual search which allows you to see your results in a graphic format. 
    • An archival database--older articles, nothing newer than 3-5 years old
  • Sage Publications [EWU link] [WSU link]
    • Allows you to search by journal issue, to review the table of contents of each journal issue.
       

GENERAL SEARCH GUIDELINES

  • Most databases have an advanced search which allows you to mix and match key words.
  • The search screen will offer you a general keyword search first.  You may change this to search specific fields, i.e. article title, author, journal title
  • The terms AND, OR and NOT (known as Boolian Operators) will be located on the left of the screen.  These are the terms you use to narrow or broaden your search.
    • AND will search only for articles with both terms in the search fields.
    • OR  will search for all articles with either term.
    • NOT or AND NOT will remove any articles with the term not desired.
  • Nesting is an extension of Boolean logic.  You must always remember to "nest" or group synonymous or related terms linked by the or operator.  Normally you use parentheses to nest such terms; alternatively some databases allow you to simply type the terms you want to nest together -- joined by the or operator -- in the same search box.  Click here for a further explanation. 
  • Most databases will allow you to narrow your search by selecting--Full Text articles only, Scholarly articles, Date limitations, as well as other limitors.
  • Truncation is a handy way to cover multiple variations of a search term without having to type in each full-length term; you shorten your term to the first few relevant letters and then add the truncation character.  In most databases the truncation character is the asterisk (*) but in some cases it may be a question mark (?) or dollar sign ($) or some other character.  (Check the help section of a particular database to find out which character is used.)  Example:  adolescen* would find articles containing the terms "adolescence" or "adolescent" or "adolescents."  Click here for more.
  •  Most databases require that you enclose a phrase in quotation marks if you want to search on it as a phrase.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Updated 11/5/09

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