Post on 13-May-2015
How do I… …find articles
Why use articles?o Provide up-to-date informationo Deal with current topics → the latest
research, theories, interpretations, news, products, trends
o Most have a specific focuso May reflect different viewpoints
To find articles on any topic…
You search online,through the Library website
www.eclibrary.ca
The Library subscribes to many databaseswhich provide access to
thousands of online magazines, journals, newspapers & similar publications.
Databases allow you to search several publications at once……so your searching is faster and more efficient
than browsing one publication at a time!
Many articles are available in their entirety through these databases.
Some articles are available in print or microform formats.
What’s the difference between a journal and a magazine?
Magazine Articleso General-interest o Not scholarlyo Written by reporters, feature
editorso Wide audienceo Usually < 5 pageso No abstracts or referenceso Glossy, with pictureso Advertisements
Journal Articleso Scholarlyo Written by subject expertso Report on original researcho Specific audienceo Usually > 5 pageso Include abstractso Referenceso Usually no pictureso No advertisements
Journals vs. MagazinesIn college and university you are often
expected to use “scholarly” sources of information.
Scholarly articles are found in journals.
Tip: Scholarly journals are sometimes called “academic” journals.
What does “peer-reviewed” mean?
Peer-reviewed articles…o Have been critically evaluated by subject
experts.o Must meet high academic standards
before being accepted for publication in scholarly journals.
When you use peer-reviewed articles,you know you have the most reliable
scholarly information published!
Tip: Some journals use the term “refereed” instead of “peer-reviewed”.
OK,how do I FIND articles
in the Library?
Select a subject related to your topic, or choose “General”.
General databases include articleson a variety of topics…
Examples:Academic Search Premier
Vocational Studies Complete
CBCA CompleteCPI.Q. Canadian
PeriodicalsCanadian Newsstand
Subject-specific databases provide more in-depth coverage of topics…
Examples:Historical Abstracts
Proquest Nursing & Allied Health
CBCA BusinessArt Full Text
PsycINFO
For the best search results:
o Start with a subject-specific database.o Try searching more than one database.
Read the descriptions to help you select a database suitable for your topic.
Designing Your Search
First of all, identify the main concepts of your topic.
Video gamesAdolescents
Behaviour
“The effect of video games on adolescent behaviour”
Video games, adolescents and behaviour are called “keywords”.
o Keywords are single words or short phrases that represent concrete ideas.
o Keywords are what you use to search for articles.
Next, think of other ways to express these topic keywords, including:
o Synonymso Related wordso Other forms of your keywords, such as
alternate spellings, plural vs. singular, etc.
Make a list of your keywords.Topic Keywords Alternate Keywords
Video gamesElectronic games, computer games
Teenagers
Teen(s), teenage, adolescent(s), adolescence, youth(s)Narrower terms – girl(s), boy(s) Broader terms – child, children
BehaviourBehaviorNarrower terms - violence, aggressiveness, aggression, fighting, bullying
Searching for Articles in Academic Search Premier
Tip: When using more than one keyword or phrase, join them with “and”.
Look at your search results.
Results not relevant to your topic? Try a new search using different terms or a different database.
Not enough articles?Your search terms or your topic might be too specific. Try to broaden your search.
Too many articles? You need to narrow your search to give it a more specific focus.
Narrowing Your Search
Try one or more of the following:o Use a more specific search term.o Add another search term.o Click on a subject heading.o Select a publication type, such as academic
(scholarly) journals.
Using the more specific term “teenage boys”, instead of “teenagers”, narrows our search.
Adding another search term gives fewer, more relevant results.
Clicking on a Subject adds that term to our search and focuses our results.
You can also limit your search results to those from Academic Journals only.
Broadening Your Search
Try one or more of the following:o Combine variations of your search terms
with “OR”.o Use a broader search term.o Reduce the number of terms in your search.o Search a different database.
This search using “OR” will find articles using the word “teenagers” as well as articles using the word “adolescents”
Here we’ve widened the scope of our search from teenagers to children.
Here we’ve broadened our search and retrievedmore results by taking out a search term.
Results not relevant to your topic?
Try one or more of the following:o Synonyms, different spellings, or other words
related to your search terms.o A different database.o The Help or Tips in the database.
Here we’ve used a related term, “aggression”, instead of violence”, to retrieve more relevant results.
If you’ve been searching a general database,
you may find more relevant articles in a subject-specific database
appropriate for your topic.
Find other search strategies by clicking on the Help or Tips links in the database you are using.
Once you have a manageable number of relevant articles,
take a closer look at your results.
Tip: The abstract is a summary of the article.
To find out more about an article, hold your cursor over the article preview icon or click on the title.
To get the full article, look for a full text link.
If there is no full text link, click on
If the article is available in another database, will link you to it.
Click on toget the article.
will also tell you if the article is available in print in the Library.
GO
If you click on and see the message
it means the full article is not availablein any format in the Library.
You can request it through Interlibrary Loan at www.eclibrary.ca
Remember to keep records of all the articles you use for information.
o This will help if you want to find them again later!
o You will also need this information when you prepare your bibliography.
Most databases allow you to:o Print articleso Save articles to your computer or a USB keyo Email articles to yourselfo Export articles to RefWorks
Another Way to Find Articles
If you’ve found a good article, look at the references to see what sources the author cited.
You may find more articles related to your topic!
How do I find an article when all I have is a citation?
Sample citation:
Sheppard, George. 2000. "The Iroquois in the War of 1812." Canadian Historical Review 81, no. 2: 304-305.
First, look up the publication in Journals by Title.
Enter the title of the publication provided in the citation.
Journals by Title will tell you:o if the Library has the publication, o what format it is in, ando the volumes and dates available.
In this example, you can click on GO to access the article online, or find the print version in the Library.
Journals by Title can also be used to find out if the Library has access to a specific journal, magazine or newspaper.
Want to access E-Resources from off-campus?
Nipissing: Username = WebAdvisor ID Password = WebAdvisor password
Canadore:Username = student numberPassword = birthdate (mmddyy)
We’re here to help!If you need any assistance in the Library please come to the Info Desk!
You can also contact us at:o 705-474-3450 ext. 4221o info@eclibrary.ca