Penn State University Libraries - Research Basics: Tips & Resources

Start with keywords

Before you start searching the library's databases for sources, identify the 3-5 key words or phrases that best represent your topic. Also think about possible synonyms for these terms.

For example, let's say you want to look at the long-term effects of funding cuts to music education in public schools. Your keywords might be: music education, public schools (or public education, high schools), funding (or budget, support), cuts (or reductions), outcomes (or impact, effects).

You will refine your keywords as your research progresses. But your initial list will help you decide what to search for, and where.

Searching for newspaper and journal articles: some useful starting points

The library's Try These First page provides a short list of some of the best places to start your research. Go to Academic Search Complete for journal articles, and Access World News for newspapers.

The Research Guides are created by subject librarians from across the state and provide custom-made portals to the databases and other resources that are most useful for researching topics from Accounting to Zoology.

LionSearch (the default search in the Start Here box on the library's homepage) allows you to search all of the print materials in the library's collections, as well as most of the online resources that the library subscribes to. Searching millions of sources can yield thousands of hits, so work with the options down the left side of the page to refine your results.

General tips for searching the library's databases

Basic search operators

Every database that the library subscribes to recognizes certain words and symbols as search operators. These operators tell the search engine how to connect and organize the keywords you search for. Unfortunately, many of the operators vary from one database to another. But there are a few that are almost always useful.

The word "or" tells the database to find sources that include either (or both) of the connected keywords. For example, a search for nittany OR lion would return articles about the nittany lion, along with a report on the geological history of Mt. Nittany, and a review of the Broadway version of The Lion King. In many databases, "or" is the default connector, meaning a search for nittany lion would produce the same results as nittany OR lion.

The word "and" tells the database to return only those results that include both of the connected keywords, which provides more focused results than you would get with "or". For example, a search for nittany AND lion would yield only articles that include both keywords.

However, some of the results of this search may mention Mt. Nittany and reports of lion spottings without ever using the term "Nittany lion". If you want only those articles that include this phrase (or "music education", or "public school"), wrap the phrase in quotation marks (for example, "nittany lion").

The word "not" tells the database to exclude results that contain the keyword that follows. For example, to exclude articles about the Penn State football team from your results, you might enter "nittany lion" NOT football.

For more information on the search operators recognized by a given database, look for a Help link at the top or bottom of the search page.

Other searching tips

• Most databases provide options to limit your search by source type (for example, scholarly articles or newspaper articles), publication date, subject terms, etc.
• Many databases assign subject terms to each article. These terms tell you what the source is all about at a more meaningful level than simply what keywords it contains. These can be useful for refining and revising your search.
• When you find an article that is especially relevant to your search, look at the sources it cites (along with the subject terms) to help guide your search.
• When you find a good source, make sure to copy-and-paste, print, save, or email yourself the citation.

Finding the full-text

If the full-text of an article is available in the database you're using, you should see a link or icon to the PDF or HTML version of the text. If the full-text is not available in the database, look for a blue Get It! button. Clicking on this button will search for the full-text in the rest of the library's databases.

To evaluate the quality and appropriateness of print and online resources, think about the publication date, the author's level of expertise on the subject, the validity of the information that you can verify independently, the author's intended audience, and his/her possible bias. Evaluating information is especially important when using sources that are not always checked for quality (e.g., webpages).

When using information or ideas from another author's work, you must give credit where credit is due – otherwise, you are guilty of plagiarism and in violation of Penn State's academic integrity policy. We give credit by citing the source. Make sure your citation contains all the information that your reader would need to find their way to the original source. It is best to pick one citation style and use it consistently. Often, your instructor will tell you which style to use.

Please don't hesitate to contact us or stop by the library for help with your research.

Andrew Marshall
adm135@psu.edu
412-675-9119

Courtney Young
cly11@psu.edu
412-675-9109