Links to the databases are on the library homepage under Databases. Databases can be searched by the A-Z list of databases or by the Subjects databases.
Databases by Subject List. If you do not know the name of the database you want to use, use the Subject List to locate databases under a discipline (social work, psychology...).
Databases are online platforms and contain a wealth of material, including scholarly journals and popular magazines, interviews, and online books.
Use a database to locate scholarly or peer-reviewed articles on a topic. Many databases have a box to check to search for scholarly or peer-reviewed articles.
Boolean searching uses "and" "or" and "not" to limit or increase research returns.
And is used to link search terms. Example: depression and homelessness. You are looking for results that include both depression and homelessness.
Or is used to look for different terms that mean the same or are closely related. Example: death penalty or capital punishment. You are looking for results that contain either death penalty or capital punishment (sometimes the results may contain both terms).
Not is used to eliminate or exclude a term in a search. Example: addiction not alcohol. You are looking for results about addiction-but not alcohol addiction.
If you have any questions, please consult with the Social Work Librarian.
Be smart about your research. Keep track of articles--print off a copy or save a copy in an electronic folder. Label the folder with the topic of the articles (addictions, domestic violence) or with the class number (social work 540). You will create an archive of materials you can use in other classes. If you have a focus in your social work studies (veterans, adolescents), you can build a resource to reference in the future.
If you would like to meet with the Social Work Librarian to hone or sharpen your database skills, send her an email to set up an appointment.
When you decide to use a database to search for peer-reviewed or scholarly articles, you must consider how to search.
On the search screen, most databases have a Help or ? section. This section provides information on how to search the database, tips to improve searches, and ways to maximize your results (setting up Alerts).
The screen below shows the database search screen, before you enter search terms.
You can choose and, or, or not to help focus your search. And means you want to connect terms (child abuse AND PTSD). Or means you want either term (capital punishment OR death penalty). Not means you want to exclude a term (social workers AND prisons and NOT jails). Think about which term you want to use, it can make a difference in the search results.
Select a Field gives you the opportunity to focus your search by limiting your search terms to a field listed. Using the author, title, or journal name are ways to focus or limit your search. Consider the information you have (author, title, journal) when deciding to use the field option.
Search Options give you the ability to limit your search. You can limit the search in many ways, including document type, number of pages, date, or publication type. Search Options also provides the opportunity to search for peer-reviewed or scholarly sources. Many databases have a box to check in the Search Options section to limit search results to scholarly or peer-reviewed.
Journal Alerts save valuable research time, and can be set up to provide automatic e-mail notification whenever a new issue of a particular journal becomes available in the database you are using.
Alerts can also be set up for subjects or topics of research.
You can find information on creating an alert in the Help or "?" section of the database.
If you have questions about setting up an alert, please contact the Social Work Librarian.
