CRMJ 315

In searching keywords can be used, but to get more direct information look for the subject terms specific to each database.

Subject terms are words or phrases selected by the indexers to represent the content in the databases. The indexes where these terms can be searched can often be found in the top left corner of the database search screen.

In SocINDEX look for the link to "Subject Terms" here you can look for terms for your topic specific to your topic.

In PsycINFO look for the link to "APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms" again this is where you will find the database specific terms for your topic.

We suggest you come up with a list of synonyms that you can try when searching the database and its index. ie: Juvenile, Kids, Adolescence, Child, Children

But wait there's more!

Use " quotation marks" to search exact phrases.

When searching for a specific type of study or review include that in your search string: Juvenile AND Violence AND "Systematic Review"

Wild cards when different spellings can be used and you want to search them all: Wom#n, Wom?n for women or woman Colo#r or Colo?r for Color or Colour

Truncation is dropping characters of words and replacing them with an * when looking for alternate spellings, singular or plural forms, and topics with similar spellings: Psycholog* for Psychology or Psychologist Librar* for Library, Librarian, Libraries, Librarianship

Boolean Operators hurray!

Using AND, OR, and NOT in your searches.

These words are used to put together a sting of word, phrases, and concepts to advance your search.

AND narrows your search results, for every term or phrase included your results get more and more specific.  Recidivism AND "Juvenile Delinquency"

OR expands your search results. Juvenile OR Adolescence OR Children

NOT excludes terms or phrases not wanted within the results. Recidivism AND "Juvenile Delinquency" NOT Psycholog*   (Note the use of truncation * here for excluding any terms with similar spelling to psychology)

Play with expanding and narrowing your topic to get the best results.

Tell Google Scholar you’re affiliated with Colorado Mesa and you’ll be linked to resources in our databases:

1. To access Google Scholar, click on the Google Scholar link logo above
2. Click on the Settings link from the menu at the top of the page
3. Select Library links from the left-hand menu 
4. Type “Colorado Mesa University” in the Show library access links box 
5. Check the box next to Colorado Mesa University—Full-text available
6. Click Save to save this setting

Google Scholar can be used to search on a topic, but it is especially effective for tracking down a specific article.  If an article is available in full text through the library databases, a link will be provided to the full text.