Conducting Research for a Paper

If you have a topic, but no specific journal title in mind, begin your search in the MavScholar. MavScholar has a quick search box on the Library Services website. It's the default search when you search something from the Library Services page. It looks like this:

 

In MavScholar:

After you have performed your initial search, view only Articles or peer-reviewed sources by using the left sidebar to filter results. Check the image below for more details and directions

Sometimes it is best to search a more specific journal database than MavScholar. When you search a database, you'll get information from lots of journals at once, saving you time and energy. Most databases are subject-specific, so you know you'll get relevant information.

You can access databases from the Library Services homepage.  Below the search box, you'll find our links to databases.  Our "Article Databases A-Z" is great if you're trying to find a specific database. Or else, check out our "Class and Subject Guides." They're divided by department and class, and through them you can usually find databases topically.

If you know the name of the database you're looking for, click Article Databases A-Z and find it easily. If you do not know which database to use, click Class & Subject Guides

Databases all look a little different, but they work in similar ways. Check out the visuals and directions below to get an idea for how they work.

Search tips:

• Start with words that relate broadly to your topic
• Add words that are unique or specific to your topic
• Avoid full sentences 

You can use phrases in direct quotes to find that exact phrase in that exact order. If you type in words without quotation marks, the search will look for those words in any order. You can also use boolean operators like and, or, and but to make your search more specific. Here's an example using the Academic Search Premier database:

Getting Irrelevant Results?

If you're getting irrelevant results, you can modify your results using the sidebar. Narrow your results by date, source type, and other limitations.

There are a few options that will probably be more help than others. For instance, in the Academic Search Premier database, you can limit the search to "Full Text" or "Scholarly ( Peer Reviewed) Journals." Full text means that the database will only look for the articles where the database has the whole article. "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals," means that the articles found will only be from journals that are reviewed by expert scholars.

Sometimes, however, NOT limiting to Full Text can turn up better search results. By including non-full text results, your search will include articles from other databases available at the Library (and at other libraries from which the University can borrow).

Keep Searching!

As you continue with your research, you may want to change your keywords by using different words and phrases you find. Be on alert for synonyms and abbreviations for the keywords you choose.