What's a keyword?
It's really important to distill your topic down into searchable keywords. You might need to change your keyword language or spelling, or use what we call "boolean operators" to combine keywords to get the best results.
The three words that you can use to combine your search keywords most efficiently are: and, or, and not. Take a look at the image to the right to get a sense of how they work.
AND tends to narrow searches because all words must be included in results.
OR tends to broaden searches because one or other terms (or all) can be present in results.
NOT selectively eliminates any results containing a specified word.
The two symbols you can also use to further refine your search keywords are "quotation marks" and the asterisk *.
"Quotation marks" searches for groups of words together. This works best if you are looking for a title or phrase.
The asterisk * is usually found above the number eight on most keyboards. Use the asterisk * to abbreviate words so you can find all possible spelling variations in your search results. It will also make your search results increase, typically.
Here's an example of what a keyword search might look like in the Education Full Text database:
Most databases also have a Subject or Controlled Vocabulary search mode that you can use in alone or in combination with search keywords (as seen in the image below). This mode uses words or phrases as categories or tags that are linked so you can see all the articles associated with that subject term or phrase.
Subject Search - The easiest way to use this mode is to find an article you like, then click on the Subjects field in the extended article detail view. This will add the subject into the search fields at the top of the page, and will display a list of all the articles that are associated with that subject. You can add more keywords to further refine your search while staying within the group of articles assigned to the subject in your search box.
What if I just want to see a list of all the subjects and begin my search from there?
You can access subjects through the Thesaurus. The Thesaurus link is on the upper left hand side on the blue navigation bar in EBSCO databases. Click to search the Thesaurus for subject terms.
The Thesaurus search page has options for matching your keywords to potential subjects. You can also use the search builder buttons to combine multiple subjects using and, or and not.
What is the quickest way to find and/or browse a journal?
Click on the Journals button on the library's homepage and search by title or ISBN number to find out if the library has a journal, and if so, where to find it online or in print. Typically, a journal entry in the search will list publication information, library call number and location information if the journal is in print, a link to a database for online content along with the dates available, and more information. If we don't have the journal you need, try Google Scholar or more reliably, use the Interlibrary Loan service.
Google Scholar is free to use on the internet, and has lots of full-text articles included. Google Scholar also allows you to search explore papers that have cited a certain paper, and includes Web of Science citation counts and lists when available.
You can also set up your own researcher/scholar profile, and organize citations. The video below demonstrates five tips that will help you maximize your Google Scholar searches.
Google Scholar is also useful for Literature Reviews and intensive searching!
Google Scholar contains much more content in languages other than English and English content from more geographically diverse areas. That can be an advantage if you are performing a literature review.
Use "Related articles" and "Cited by" links to access articles that are similar or related to the article citation you are examining.
Related Articles finds articles written on similar topics.
Cited by lists all articles that cited the source article you are examining. Occasionally Google Scholar will also list Web of Science cited by counts.
What is the best way to evaluate sources found online?
Lateral reading is using other websites and sources to verify claims and content on websites you are evaluating. It is a strategy used by professional fact-checkers. It's as simple as opening up a few more windows on your browser and searching other sites for claims, persons, things, and events to verify content as your read the source page. You might find this strategy useful when evaluating content you find online.
It's different than vertical reading, which is when you stay on a website and follow the links or analyze the content on your source page without verifying with outside sources. ]
If the full-text of the article is unavailable in the database or via Google Scholar use the Interlibrary Loan Service (ILL) to order the article or book to be delivered online or physically to you.
If you truly can't wait and have the time and resources to travel to another library in Texas, you can get a TexShare card at the Circulation desk that will allow you to check out books at other university and public libraries throughout the state.
Creating a personal account in databases (when available) is an advantage for advanced researchers, especially if you are working on multiple long-term projects. Some of the features available when you create an account in a database include:
Databases that allow you to create an account include:
Quick Search
Use Quick Search when you want to get a broad search through all library databases, the catalog, print and online resources the library owns.
Subject Databases
The following databases are just a selection of the wider set available to you - browse the library's Education and Educational Administration database lists from the library's website!
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Left to Right: Trisha Hernandez, Lorin Flores, Aida Almanza-Ferro.
We are the librarians for College of Education and Human Development, and the College of Nursing. We look forward to working with you! To contact us or to make an appointment:
Submit your request and we'll get right back to you!
Or, you can reach out directly. For our email addresses and phone numbers, see the list below:
Aida Almanza-Ferro | aida.almanza@tamucc.edu | 361-825-2356
Lorin Flores | lorin.flores@tamucc.edu | 361-825-2609
Trisha Hernandez | patricia.hernandez@tamucc.edu |361-825-2687
Librarians are available M-F, 8-5.
