NR567 - Analysis of Environmental Impact
A guide for Prof. Rothfeder's Spring 2022 class
Searching in Library Databases
Database Searching Strategy
Knowing how to search in library databases is very important in order to retrieve useful results. The steps below will help you to get the most from your searches.
- Identify the main concepts of your research question.
- Think about synonyms and alternative wordings that might be used to describe those concepts.
- Combine your search terms using Boolean Operators, truncation, and phrase searching.
- Examine your search results and look for other terms to use.
- Modify your search as necessary.
Techniques for Combining Search Terms
| Technique | What it Does | Example |
| AND | Searches for documents containing both words. Narrows a search. | fracking AND environment |
| OR | Searches for documents containing either word. Broadens a search. | fracking OR hydrofracking |
| NOT | Excludes documents containing the word following NOT. Narrows a search. | shale NOT Bakken |
| " " | Searches for a phrase. Narrows a search. | "hydraulic fracturing" |
| * | Searches for documents containing any word starting with the letters before the *. Broadens a search. | environment* [finds environment, environmental, environmentalism, etc.] |
| Combine techniques | Allows you to create precise an thorough searches | (fracking OR "hydraulic fracturing") AND environment* |
Specific Database Tutorials
EBSCO Databases
- EBSCOhost Basic Search2 minute video introduces searching in databases from the EBSCO company. CSU Libraries has many databases from EBSCO, including CAB Abstracts.
- EBSCOhost Advanced Searching2-1/2 minute video covers advanced search techniques using EBSCO databases.
ProQuest Databases
- ProQuest Basic Search2 minute video introduces searching on the ProQuest interface. CSU has many databases that use this interface, including Environmental Impacts Statements: Full-Text and Digests.
- ProQuest Advanced Search2 minute video shows expanded options for searching in ProQuest databases.
Find the Whole Article
Many library databases only include abstracts (summaries) of articles. If you don't see a link that says "PDF full text" or "HTML full text" in a database, look for the FindIt@CSU icon. This will link you to the full text of the article.
Google Advanced Search
Some federal agencies post documents such as environmental impact statements on the internet. A search engine such as Google is often the best tool for finding these, and using a search engine's advanced search will help you to get better results.
- How to Use Google Advanced SearchVideo from the David L. Rice Library at the University of Southern Indiana.
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