Basics to finding articles

Here are some general tips to effectively search subscription databases to find journal and magazine articles:

Your best strategy is to:

1. start with a keyword search
2. examine the records you retrieve
3. look for the subject headings used that are the closest to what you are looking for
4. modify your search with the new terms, changing from a keyword search to a subject search

For example, let's say my topic is "mass media's effects on women and body image."

My first step is to pick a database.

1. From the homepage I go to Find an Article
2. I look through the broad categories in the blue, left-hand margin and select the general category.
3. I click on Academic Search Premier, a very good database when you're not sure where to start.
4. I click on the Choose Databases tab to add on more databases to search simultaneously and add on two more databases:
   Communication & Mass Media Complete and Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection.
5. I click on Continue. I'm now ready to start searching.

Start with a Keyword Search

I type in mass media, women, and body image in the search boxes.

Examine the records you retrieve

Note the subject headings

Change your search from searching in the default field to subject heading field.

Use the drop down boxes to change from Default Fields to Subject Terms.

Now I find a much more relevant set of results.

More tips to finding articles