LibGuides: COM 101: Prof. O'Connell's class (ONLINE ONLY): Choosing Articles

Using Databases

A Database is a collection of articles, book chapters and other information from reliable sources. The library subscribes to many excellent databases you can search to locate articles for your library project.

Select one of the databases listed below to locate a journal article. All of the resources in these databases come from reliable publications. Although they are delivered through the Internet, they are not considered "Internet Sources" by your professors.

All articles may be printed, emailed or saved on a flash drive. Most of the databases also provide "My Folder" options that allow you to save your articles for future use. Check it out!!

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
This database has articles in magazines, newspapers and journals. To limit to articles and to pick a specific date range, use the limiters on the left column after your search and then click Update. Use the advanced search feature to limit your search or use the suggested subject headings on the left of your search results.
Education Source This link opens in a new window
This database covers scholarly research and information to meet the needs of education students, professionals and policy makers. As the complete source of education scholarship, Education Source covers all levels of education—from early childhood to higher education—as well as all educational specialties, such as multilingual education, health education and testing.
Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
This is a web based digital video delivery service that allows you to view over 50,000 streaming videos on a variety of topics.
General OneFile This link opens in a new window
This Comprehensive database offers news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics. To limit your results to journal articles only, make sure you indicate that you want full-text and peer-reviewed articles only. You can do this from the initial search screen or from the column to the left of your article results.
Humanities Source This link opens in a new window
As the most comprehensive resource available in its field, Humanities Source provides full text—plus abstracts and bibliographic indexing—for the most noted scholarly sources in the humanities. Including feature articles, interviews, obituaries, bibliographies, original works of fiction, book reviews, and reviews of ballets, dance programs, motion pictures, musicals, operas, plays, and much more,
JSTOR Arts & Sciences I Current Collection This link opens in a new window
Electronic access to back issues of scholarly journals across the disciplines.
LGBT Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Contains LGBT journals, magazines and regional newspapers, as well as more than 150 full-text monographs and books. To limit to articles and to pick a specific date range, use the limiters on the left column after your search and then click Update.
Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection This link opens in a new window
Includes nearly 550 full text journals, including peer-reviewed titles covering topics such as emotional &behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & mental processes, updated daily.
ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window
Access to scientific, technical and medical research in over 1,200 journals covering all fields of science.
Social Sciences Full Text This link opens in a new window
Provides access to a wide assortment of English-language journals published in the social sciences.
SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Provides access to literature in sociology and related fields. Includes abstracts and full-text of journal articles, conference papers, books and dissertations.

How to search and Limit Results

To help narrow your search do an Advanced Search. Click on Advanced Search. Enter your keywords using the AND connector. The database will look for articles that contain both of your key words.

Here is an example from Academic Search Complete:

Your results will include articles from magazines, newspapers and journals. To limit your results, use the limit box on the left of the screen. Check articles for instance and then click update. The remaining results will be journal articles.

Select an article that best addresses your research question.

Which Article is Best?

Once you have done your search, select the best articles.
Is the article...

Too general? (It must specifically address your topic!)
Too short? (It should be at least 2 pages or 500 words.)
Informative? (It must contain information that helps you answer your research question.)
Recent? (When using articles that contain research, it is a good idea to choose newer articles. An article published within the last 5-7 years is preferable.)
Well-documented? (Crime stories or opinions are not good. Articles always have a bibliography or works cited section.)

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Friday	7:45 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday	10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Sunday	Closed