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SOCB05: Logic of Social Inquiry

Fall 2024 - Professor Landolt

Recommended Journal Article Databases

Begin your search for peer-reviewed or scholarly journal articles in the following recommended databases.

No one database has everything. Search multiple databases from the list below to find enough relevant articles on your topic. To find more databases from the library select Subjects A-Z on the library website and choose the subject(s) most relevant to your topic

Writing Effective Search Strategies

Before you begin, read your research question/assignment. If you have any questions, be sure to ask your instructor or TA before you begin your research. 

  Why? How? Example
Step 1: Identify key concepts Key concepts from your research question are the most effective search terms to quickly locate relevant sources. Underline key nouns from your research question.

What challenges have university students faced with the transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Step 2: Identify alternative search terms To find everything relevant to your topic in a database. Brainstorm alternatives (synonyms, alternative spelling) for your key concepts.

Key concept 1: university students

  • higher education
  • university / universities
  • college(s)
  • student(s)

Key concept 2: transition to online learning

  • Online
  • Remote
  • Distance
  • Teaching
  • Learning
  • Education

Key concept 3: COVID-19 pandemic

  • Coronavirus(es)
  • Corona virus(es)
  • COVID
  • COVID19
  • COVID-19
  • Pandemic(s)
Step 3: Combine your search terms In order to get more focused results, use Boolean operators (and, or) as well as the wildcard* to combine key concepts.

And: Combines key concepts together to find articles that contain both concepts.

Or: Combines alternative search terms to find articles that contain either/any concept.

Wildcard*: Finds variations in spelling, prefixes, and suffixes (revers* will find reverse, reversal, reversing, etc.)

Quotation marks: searches for word or phrase as a unit (preserves word order)

(universit* OR college* OR "higher education" OR student*)

AND

(online OR remote OR distance OR teaching OR learning OR education)

AND

(coronavirus* OR "corona virus*" OR COVID OR COVID19 OR COVID-19 OR pandemic*)
Step 4: Consider using limiters (available in a library database) In order to focus on articles that are appropriate for your assignment. Choose limiters in a library database that are relevant to your research needs.
  • Scholarly or peer reviewed
  • Format: e.g. scholarly journal
  • Publication date
  • Language
Step 5: Review your search results Check if articles are appropriate for your assignment to ensure you find the right information to write a high quality paper.

Check if you articles are:

  • Relevant to your topic and discipline
  • Popular or scholarly (depending on whether you're working on the first or second annotation assignment)
  • Current enough (publication year)
  
Step 6: Adjust your strategy If you don't find relevant articles, change your search strategy.

Too few articles? Try...

  • Adding more synonyms or related terms (combine with OR)
  • Deleting the least relevant term from your search
  • Using the wildcard*

Too many articles? Try...

  • Focusing on a specific component of the topic
  • Adding more keywords (combine with AND)

Too few articles?

  • Consider adding related terms to your search, which may have a broader or narrower meaning
  • Check for alternate spellings
  • Search for the plural versions of your concepts
  • Capture variant forms of each concept (e.g. as a noun vs. a verb)

Example: expand you search to encompass other pandemics or emergency situations

Too many articles? Try...

  • Limiting the search to a specific population or group, phenomena, or aspect of the topic
  • Looking at your topic in a specific location or region

Example: narrowing your search to focus on student attitudes toward online learning

Adapted from The University of Manchester Library: Making Your Search Work (Cheat Sheet)

Video Tutorial