1. Begin Here
2. Finding your Materials
   • Finding books
   • Finding periodical articles
   • Finding web resources

4. Evaluating your Information
5. Citing your Sources
6. Plagiarism and Copyright
7. Research Tips
8. Help

Keyword Search

Use the Keyword search option when you don’t know the author, title, or the Library of Congress subject heading for your topic. In a keyword search, multiple words are searched as one phrase, e.g., endangered species.Single keywords or concepts can be combined using Boolean operators (and, or, not) to broaden the search and parenthesis can be used to nest keywords.

Examples:

• internet and commerce
• internet or world wide web
• environmental policy and not united states
• (internet or world wide web) and commerce

Keyword searching is broad and flexible, but not very precise. For more precise searching, click on the Library of Congress subject headings assigned to relevant books retrieved by doing a keyword search.

Subject Search

Use the subject search when you know the Library of Congress subject heading for your topic.

Example:

• Electronic commerce -- United States

Request books not available in MU Libraries from other MERLIN libraries, the MOBIUS Union Catalog, or by using Interlibrary Loan.

Step 1: Identify articles on your topic.

The most efficient way to search for articles on your topic is to use one of the many electronic databases or print indexes. Databases and indexes contain references to articles in magazines, newspapers, and/or journals (scholarly periodicals).

General Databases (Multi-disciplinary) are good for a variety of subjects and generally serve as an excellent starting point for research. They include magazine, journal, and newspaper articles.

Examples:

• Academic Search Premier
• MasterFile Elite
• LexisNexis Academic (Newspapers)

Specialized or Subject-Specific Databases index articles published in the journal literature of a specific field like nursing, psychology, sociology, etc. These databases contain peer-reviewed articles and are geared to scholars in the field. For many of your classes, you may be required to use scholarly sources found in specialized databases.

Examples:

• PsycINFO (Psychology topics)
• Sociological Abstracts (Sociology topics)
• ERIC (Education topics)
• MLA (Literary criticism)
• America: History and Life (American History topics)
• Historical Abstracts (World history topics)
• ABI Inform (Business)

Begin your search for articles by clicking on Find a Database on the MU Libraries gateway. You can select a database(s) from the alphabetical list of databases or from the subject list of databases. The Alphabetical list of databases includes both general and specialized databases. Select a Subject area to identify databases for that subject.

If you have trouble finding the right database for your topic, consult a librarian.

Searching databases

• Most databases default to a keyword or a basic search, i.e., they allow for individual words to be searched anywhere (text, title, source, author, etc.) in a record. A Keyword search broadens a search, allows use of any word, searches all fields, etc.
  
• Subject searching in databases requires the use of controlled vocabulary unique to each database. A subject search narrows a search and searches only the subject field of a record.
  
• Most databases allow you to use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine terms.AND narrows a search, OR broadens a search, and NOT eliminates term(s).

Examples:

• college and scholarships
• colleges or universities
• Mexico not New Mexico

Most databases allow you to limit or focus your search retrieval.Common limits used in database are:

• By publication date
• By language
• By peer reviewed or scholarly journals
• By full text
• By publication title

Most databases allow you to truncate words.Truncation allows you to search a word stem with different endings.The truncation symbols (e.g., * $ # + !, etc.) vary from database to database. Consult the help feature in a database to determine the truncation symbol for the database.

Example:

• politic* would retrieve political, politician(s), politicking, politically, politics, etc.

Some databases are completely full-text or have some full-text articles. Full-text indicates that the complete journal or magazine article is in the database.

• Most databases allow you to mark selected articles so that you can print, download, or e-mail your selected articles.
  
• Most databases have the help feature. It is a good idea to read the help screens before beginning a search.

Step 2: Locate periodical articles in MU Libraries.

The MU Libraries have periodicals in print, on microfilm, and in electronic format. Current periodicals at MU are shelved alphabetically by their title in Current Periodicals Reading Room (CPRR, 1st Floor West, Ellis Library) and older periodicals are shelved with the books in library stacks by their call number.

• Go to the MU Libraries gateway and click on Electronic journals to find out if a periodical title is available electronically.
• If not available electronically, go to the MU Libraries gateway and click on the MERLIN Catalog to find periodicals owned by MU Libraries. Click on “Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Titles” search option.
• Type the exact name of the periodical title.
• Look at the periodical record.
• Look at the “LIB HAS” heading to find out if the library has the volume of the periodical you are looking for.
• Identify the location and call number of the periodical.
• Next use the Location Guide to find the floor location of the periodical.
  

How can you tell if the article is from a popular magazine or a scholarly journal?

• Try this link:
  Popular magazines vs. Trade magazines vs. Scholarly journals (Colorado State University Library)