Choosing a Search Tool
To get started with your search, you'll need to pick a search tool. We recommend you try searching in one of the library's resources, since it will be easier to find credible materials that you won't need to pay for. Academic Search Premier (linked below) is an excellent place to start for most searches, but the library has hundreds of options!
See below for links to some key databases, as well as a video on how to choose a resource.
- Academic Search Ultimate
Coverage: Varies
Multi-disciplinary database of scholarly and popular articles. Includes full text, peer-reviewed journals, PDF backfiles to 1975, and searchable cited references. - CQ Researcher OnlineCoverage: 1991 to present
A collection of reports covering political and social issues, including topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Reports include opposing perspectives, background information on issues, and relevant contacts and further reading.
Choosing a Database
Selecting and Using Keywords
Once you have chosen a search tool, it's helpful to think of some good terms or words that you can use to get the best results. The video below will walk you through the steps of choosing keywords.
Searching the Database
The videos below show some example searches in Academic Search Premier (link in the box above).
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