Here's a list of some Pro Searching Tips to help navigate the searching experience!
Many databases have an "abstract viewer"that allows for the abstracts (short summaries) of articles to be read on the search results page without opening up new pages or downloading lots of PDFs. It's a quick and easy way to gleam the relevance/usefulness of an article for your research paper.
Many databases also have "folders" that allow you to save articles temporarily as your read through search results pages. Try saving interesting or potential articles to the database's folder. Citation information and articles can be exported from the database in the format of your choice.
Remember, these are temporary folders. The data within the folder only lasts a few hours or until you exit our of your browser.
Download reference/citation software to manage your articles. We recommend Zotero, a free and versatile reference software. A full tutorial for the program can be found HERE. There are other reference/citation software available, such as Mendeley or Refworks. Basic Mendeley is free, but Refworks is a paid service. If you are associated with another institution, see which reference/citation software your institution recommends.
Save the article's PDF within your chosen reference software. Many reference programs allow for the creation of subfolders within the program. It is very useful for organizing PDFs and the corresponding references/citations if you need to refer to them at a later point.
Many databases offer options to copy/paste, download, or export the reference/citation information of an article.
Always double-check auto-generated reference information, including reference information provided to you by databases or reference software. Many of them are incorrect.
Install LibKey Nomad. It is a browser extension that checks other SHU databases for an article if it is not available within a particular database. A tutorial for LibKey Nomad can be found HERE.
If a full-text article is not available, request it for free through Inter-Library Loan (ILL). Log in with your regular SHU username and password. ILL can be found HERE.
Not sure which database to choose? Check out our top recommended databases by subject HERE.
You can also use our QuickSearch tool that simultaneously searches many of our databases. It is not completely inclusive. More information can be found HERE.
Are you a NUR365 student? The Trip database will be perfect for your research assignment.
Need citation style help? We have a guide for that too! (Can you tell we are obsessed with guides?) The guide can be found HERE.
Are you not a SHU affiliated student? If your institution has access to Scopus or Web of Science (Sadly, we do not subscribe to these databases), it is a very useful tool for tracking the web of references between similar articles. This method of searching is called Reverse (and Forward) Citation Searching. If you use this method, do not use it as your primary searching method. It does not replace the traditional searching method. Using only Forward/Reverse Citation Searching can result in a bias research paper. It is intended to be a supplement to the traditional searching method.
A research question is not the same as a thesis/argument statement. A research question does not define the argument of a paper. For example, "Are SATs an effective test for determining the college readiness of high school students?" is a research question. My goal is to search and read the literature to answer if "Yes, SATs are an effective test for determining the college readiness of high school students" or "No, SATs are not an effective test for determining the college readiness of high school students". A good research question can simply be answered with "yes" or "no". A thesis/argument statement reflects your argument based on the research. For example, based on the research, I can write my thesis/argument statement as follows: "SATs are not an effective test for determining the college readiness of high school students because ...." (I'm answering no to my research question based on the research evidence). Many students confuse the role and differences between research questions and thesis/argument statements.
Still completely lost? Have a question that wasn't answered here? Need some clarification? Librarians are available to help! We love to help students with their research projects. Don't worry, we are a very friendly bunch :)You can schedule a 1-1 consultation with a librarian HEREat a time that is convenient for you. You can also reach us by phone, email, or instant chat HERE.
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