Search Tips
Good searching can shorten your research time significantly. Here are some tips from the pros:
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Use quotation marks around a phrase to inform the search engine to look for exactly the phrase you enter- for example "ice bucket challenge" or "United States" or "cultural appropriation".
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When searching for a keyword with multiple variations (ex. "child", "children", "childhood", etc.) use the root form of the word and add an asterisk (*). This means using child* will retrieve items that have all variations-- "child", "children", "childhood".
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Vary your search strategy! Try different search terms, explore a variety of databases and resources.
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Use the built-in database filters to focus your results. Most interfaces let you limit by publication date, subject, format and more
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Finally, ZSR Librarians are very skilled in helping you find the best search for your topic - so get in touch with us when you need help!
Search Google Scholar
Object Lesson Research Directions
This graphic is modeled on material originally created by Alex Watkins at University of Colorado at Boulder.
Getting Started with Background Sources
Before getting started with research, it is a good idea to start with some background and context to the issues you are investigating. The sources below will help you get to that information quickly AND they can help you focus your research topic!
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowSearch across hundreds of subject encyclopedias and other reference works. A great place to find background information on almost any research topic. Includes subject trees, pro/con resources, links to scholarly articles and more.
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowSearch across hundreds of subject encyclopedias and other reference works. A great place to find background information on almost any research topic. Includes a topic finder for help with narrowing or broadening your research topic. Coverage: varies
Search the ZSR Library catalog (for books or Ebooks):
General Research Databases
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new windowProvides access to journals covering the social sciences, humanities, education, and more. Good general-purpose database for researching most topics. Coverage: 1985-
- ProQuest Central This link opens in a new windowIndexes and provides full-text access to scholarly journals, newspapers, magazines, dissertations, working papers, and market reports across all major subject areas.
- Gale OneFile: Pop Culture Studies This link opens in a new windowBrings journal, reference, book, news, and web content about popular culture from Gale together in one search interface.
General & Subject Databases
- Contemporary Women's Issues (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new windowprovides access to current full text and backfile content covering topics including civil rights, health, education, professional development, and entrepreneurship. Coverage: 1992-
- Communication and Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new windowContains scholarly literature on all aspects of communication studies, including discourse, linguistics, media studies, and rhetoric. Coverage: 1915-
- Gale OneFile: Pop Culture Studies This link opens in a new windowBrings journal, reference, book, news, and web content about popular culture from Gale together in one search interface.
- ProQuest Political Science Database This link opens in a new windowContains hundreds of leading political science and international relations journals, full-text doctoral dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, country profiles, political news and other sources. This link cross searches ProQuest Political Science Database, PAIS Index, and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. Coverage: 1985-
- Film and Television Literature Index This link opens in a new windowAbstracts and indexes journals on topics such as film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews. Coverage: 1973-
- Popular Culture in Britain and America This link opens in a new windowFrom the collections of original archival material from key libraries in Britain and America, discover the 1950's to the 1970's through a wealth of printed and manuscript sources, visual material, ephemera and video clips. Coverage: 1950-1975
- SPORTDiscus This link opens in a new windowCitations and some abstracts from periodicals, books, conference proceedings, dissertations and theses, research papers, etc. covering the areas of sports, physical fitness, sport science and recreation. Access is limited to four simultaneous users. Coverage: 1830-
- Berg Fashion Library This link opens in a new windowComprehensive fashion database, includes the Berg Enyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, scholarly ebooks, and images from museums such as the Victoria & Albert, The Museum at FIT, and the Bata Shoe Museum.
- Environment Complete This link opens in a new windowProvides coverage in applicable areas of agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, renewable energy sources, natural resources, marine & freshwater science, pollution & waste management, environmental technology, environmental law, urban planning, and more. Coverage: 1901-
- America: History and Life This link opens in a new windowSearch for articles about the history and culure of the United States and Canada. Publications include peer-reviewed journals, magazines, dissertations, books, and more. Access is limited to six simultaneous users. Note: For world history topics, use the Historical Abstracts database. Coverage: 1964-
- APA PsycInfo This link opens in a new windowProvides abstracts to journal articles, book chapters, books and dissertations in psychology and related disciplines (sociology, linguistics, anthropology, education, medicine, law, physiology, business, psychiatry, nursing, pharmacology). Links to full text in PsycARTICLES and to other resources in ZSR. Coverage: 1806-
- ProQuest Social Science Database This link opens in a new windowContains hundreds of academic journals, providing extensive coverage across a wide range of social science disciplines including anthropology, criminology, economics, education, political science, psychology, social work and sociology. Coverage: 1987-
Instruction & Outreach Librarian
Search News Sources from ZSR Library
- America's News This link opens in a new windowFeatures national, regional and local news from across the United States from the 1980s to the present. Includes the Winston-Salem Journal. A great resource for getting news from regional and local news sources. Coverage: 1980s-
- Newspaper Source Plus This link opens in a new windowFull text for many major U.S. and international newspapers, including the New York Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, the London Times, and others. Also includes some television and radio news transcripts. Coverage: 1985-
- ProQuest Current News This link opens in a new windowCurrent US and international news. This simultaneously searches ProQuest databases US Newsstream, International Newsstream, Global Breaking Newswires, Canadian Newsstream, Ethnic Newswatch, and Recent Newspapers.
