Check out the library's self-paced tutorial How do I search library databases? to learn the basics of database searches.
1. What is Mardigian Search and why should I use it?
- Mardigian Search is the library's Discovery search box, which looks through all of the library's databases at once.
- Mardigian Search is great for:
- finding out what's been studied in your research area
- finding sources about interdisciplinary topics
- Check out the library's self-paced tutorial What are library databases and why should I use them? for more information
2. How do I search for articles that describe my themes, concepts, or arguments?
- Identify the keywords of your argument and use those as your search words
- Each article has tags assigned to it, words or shorts phrases that make them searchable - you want your search words to match those tags
- Words like factors, effects, issues, relationships are usually not used as tags - don't include them as search words
- Example concept: primate social cognition
- Search words: primate "social cognition"
- "social cognition" will search for it as a phrase, not two separate words
3. How do I focus the search hits to relevant articles that meet my assignment requirements?
- Use the Refine Your Search sidebar in the list of search results to focus your search hits
- Peer-reviewed articles:
- Click on Peer Review
- Click on Journal article under Content Type
- Current/Recent articles:
- Under Publication Date, move the scroll bar over to 2006 to present
- To Anthropology articles
- Under Discipline, click on anthropology
4. How do I know my search words match the tags assigned to articles about my topic?
- As you scroll through the search results, look at the assigned tags (words), and see if they match your search words
- Example: The list of search hits includes articles tagged with social cognition and articles tagged with social knowledge. They're used interchangably.
- Change your search to primate ("social cognition" OR "social knowledge")
- OR searches for soures that are tagged with either of these two concepts
5. How do I preview the abstract/summary of articles in the list of search hits?
- Click on Preview below the article description
6. How do I access the article so I can read the whole thing?
- Click on Full Text Online
- Look for pdf Full Text or HTML Full Text links
7. I can't find anything on my topic. What do I do?
- The search words you're using to describe your topic may not match the tags that have been assigned to books and articles on that topic
- Look through the Subject terms in the Refine Your Search sidebar and check the boxes beside the topic areas that interest you
- When you find an article that looks interesting, look at its assigned tags/subjects
- Add any relevant tags to your search
- This will also help you develop your research questions and search for articles about your specific research questions
- There may not be research tying your main ideas together yet
- Try searching for your main ideas separately and linking their findings together
- If you've found one article that's relevant for your topic, look through the sources in its References list to see if any of them are also relevant to your research
