Lesson 5: How to Use Electronic Databases
The Fountain-New Library offers access to several online databases of academic material which can be pertinent to research projects.
Probably the most efficient way to begin research is to click on one of
the two databases indexed on the homepage: Academic Search Premier or Research Library.
With either of these, you can search for any topic within any subject discipline area. If further research beyond
these two databases is needed, GALILEO offers additional databases which are housed under the subject specific tabs located at the top of the homepage. In this tutorial, you
will be guided through the search process using EBSCOhost databases.
The steps for using ProQuest are very similar; therefore, the search
techniques learned in EBSCOhost can easily be transferred to ProQuest.
A.
Choosing databases
You can use the databases located in GALILEO or other EBSCOhost databases indexed on the library's website. Go to the Library Services (Mount Vernon Campus)
B.
Searching for a topic
After you have
selected your databases, you will automatically be taken to the “Basic Keyword
Search” screen. Enter your
keyword or phrase in the box provided, and press “Search.”
You may narrow your results by specifying a journal title, date
published, or by limiting your search to full-text articles only.
An “Advanced Search” allows you to designate the
fields of a record to search, such as author, title or subject.
To perform an advanced search, click on “Advanced Search” in the
EBSCOhost toolbar. Type your search
term(s) in the Find box and choose a field code from the drop-down box.
You may enter additional search terms in the optional text boxes and
select Boolean operators (and, or, not) to connect multiple search terms.
Wilson OmniFile
The library provides access to the Wilson OmniFile database which is linked on the Library Services (Mount Vernon Campus) page. With this service,
patrons may search for articles from indexes representing certain subject matters (i.e. Business Index, Social Sciences Index, etc.). The "Readers Guide to Periodical Literature" index covers all subject areas. To access this database away from the Mount Vernon campus, contact a library staff member at 1-800-342-1087, ext. 235 to obtain the username and password.
A.
Searching for a topic
On the Wilson OmniFile database's homepage, you will automatically be able to search for an article using the "Advance Search" method. To perform a search, you will need to select which indexes you want to use by clicking on the box located next to the index. You can search by more than one index at a time. Enter your keyword or phrase in the box provided, then select how you want the words to be searched by selecting a method from the drop down list (Title, Subject, Author, etc.). You may enter additional search terms in the optional text boxes and select Boolean operators (and, or, not) to connect multiple search terms. You also have the option of limiting your search results with the limiters provided below the search boxes. An example of the Advance Search screen is shown below.
A “Basic Search” allows you to input terms you want to search in a single text box. You will need to choose which index you want to search from first by clicking on the box next to the index. You can search by more than one index at a time. An example of the Basic Search screen is shown below.
B. Displaying results
After clicking “Start,” you will be taken to a screen that displays the results of your search. At this point you can select which article best suits your needs. Each article title in the results list will provide a link to the corresponding article with the bibliographic citation. If the article is available full-text, you can click on the appropriate icon to view the entire article. A search results screen is shown below.
.
You may now proceed to the exercise for this lesson.