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PSYC 240: Introduction to Mental Health and Adjustment

Research Guide for PSYC 240

Access Library Resources Online

Trying to access library resources online? Follow the instructions on the Online Access to Library Resources page to access library databases, articles, and ebooks, both on-campus and off-campus.

Mardigian Search

Advanced Search

Mardigian Search FAQs

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

2. How do I search for my research topic?

  • Identify the main ideas of your topic 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 impact, effect, or factors are not usually used as tags - don't include them as search words
  • Example:: Does physical exercise have an impact on undergraduates with anxiety?
    • Search words: "physical exercise" depression undergraduate*
    • "physical exercise" searches for physical exercise as a phrase, not separate words
    • undergraduate* searches for undergraduate and undergraduates

3. I'm looking for a specific article or book. How do I find out if the library has it?

  • Enter the title into the search box, removing all punctuation

4. How do I focus the search hits to relevant articles that meet my assignment requirements?

  • Use Refine Your Search options to focus your search results
  • Peer-reviewed articles:
    • Check Peer Reviewed 
    • Check Journal article under Content Type
  • Current/Recent articles:
    • Use the options under Publication Date to focus to recent articles

5. I have too many irrelevant search hits. How do I focus them?

  • Under Subject Terms, click on More... to open a list of all Subject Terms
    • Click on the subjects that interest you to add them to your search
    • Scroll to the top of the list of Subject Terms and click on Apply
  • When you find an article that looks interesting, look at its assigned tags (words) 
    • Click on Quick Look below the article title
    • Look at its assigned Subjects/tags 
    • Add any relevant tags (words) to your search
    • This will also help you develop your research topics and search for books and articles for them

6. How do I know my search words match the tags assigned to articles about my topic?

  • As you scroll through the search hits, look at the Subjects (tags) assigned to the relevant articles you find, and see if they match your search words 
  • Subjects (tags) also help you identify the specific issues around your topic so you can give it direction and develop it into a focused research question

7. How do I preview the abstract/summary of articles in the list of search results?

  • Click on Quick Look below the article title

8. 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

9. 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
  • Ask your course professor or the Psychology Librarian, Nadine Anderson, for help
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