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 my topic?
- Identify the keywords 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 factors, effects, issues, relationships are usually not used as tags - don't include them as search words
- Example: you are looking for articles that discuss the relationship between educational achievement and economic status
- Search: "educational achievement" AND "economic status"
- Quotation marks around "educational achievement" search for it as a phrase, not separate words
- AND tells the database to search for articles tagged with BOTH of these concepts
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 my search results to articles published in peer-reviewed journals in the last 10 years?
- Use the options under Refine Your Search to focus your search hits
- Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles:
- Check Peer Review
- Check Journal article under Content Type
- Click on 10 Years under Publication Date
5. I have a lot of irrelevant articles in my list of search hits. How do I focus them to my interest areas?
- Use the options under Refine Your Search to focus your search hits
- Under Discipline check disciplines that are relevant to your research and this course, which could include:
- psychology
- public health
- social sciences
- sociology and social history
- Under Subject Terms check subjects that interest you to focus your search results to your specific research areas of interest
- When you find an article that looks interesting, look at its assigned tags(subjects)
- Click on Quick Look below the article title
- Look at its assigned Subjects (tags)
- Add any relevant Subjects to your search
- This will also help you develop your research topics and search for books and articles for them
6. How do I preview the abstract/summary of articles in the list of search hits?
- Click on Quick Look below the article title
7. 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
8. 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 subject terms that interest you
- When you find an article that looks interesting, look at its assigned 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
