Start Your Research

WHY START WITH LIBRARY SEARCH?

Library Search

► Is a search platform with ONLINE TEXTS (and print ones as well)

► Covers a broad range of research TOPICS

► It includes academic and other sources TYPES relevant to the needs of researchers

► Has FILTERS that make sorting through sources convenient and easy!

HOW TO USE LIBRARY SEARCH & MANAGE RESULTS

Library Search has two entry points:

Image Caption: On the left, The Library home page search box. On the right, The Library Search homepage.

Depending on where you begin your search (Library home page or the Library Search itself) this may affect how you employ the following things:

Search. Simply enter your keywords as you would on a search engine like Google.

► Try a keyword search;

► Add or remove words as needed;

► If a word doesn't seem to be working replace it with a synonym.

► Search is iterative. The more you learn about a topic the more confident you'll become with your searches. If you're not feeling confident after a day or so, let one of us at the library know [link to appointments]

Sign in. This truly depends on where you start your search. Signing in provides you with access to materials that are available only to UCSC students and other affiliates. The moment you have a chance, Sign in:

► Look for the yellow banner reminding you to sign in, or

► Look for the Sign in link in the upper right hand corner.

Results. Results can be overwhelming. Or maybe you only look at the first page of results anyway. Notice:

► The results count;

► LOAD MORE RESULTS link at the end/bottom of the results.

Filters. Are your friend. Use these to focus your results. Filters to make note of:

► SHOW ONLY: "Peer Review" & "Open Access"

► RESOURCE TYPES: "Articles," "Book Chapters," "Books," "Newspaper articles," "Images" and MANY OTHERS

► DATES

Access. Some things will be available online only and some will be available in the library only (for you to check out).
Look for:

► Available online and follow the links provided

► For physical items in the library, look for a call number to be able to find these

UC Library Search This link opens in a new window

WHEN & HOW TO MOVE ON TO OTHER DATABASES

Library search should provide sufficient research materials for most student research projects. Reasons to use different database:

Your Library Search results lack the depth needed for your research project.
You're conducting searches for a paper in your major, and feel lost by the results in Library Search.
You need sources from a disciplinary perspective, for example methods, theories, scholarly conversations, etc.

Start by findind a database in your discipline or subject:

All Library Subject Guides
These guides are organized by Subject. They list the most relevant databases for finding journal articles and other research by subject.

Some frequently used databases include:

Academic Search Complete from EBSCO (ASC) This link opens in a new window Database of articles in peer-reviewed journals, magazines, and news sources with full-text journal coverage for nearly all academic areas of study.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window This database includes the full text of journals starting with their very first issue and eBooks and eChapters. Note, current issues are not available in JSTOR. Consult the journals list for information on years of coverage. For wider coverage of a topic, consult the database best suited to your discipline.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window Multidisciplinary database of scholarly articles. Searches citation indexes in Arts and Humanities, Social Science, and Science. Includes "cited by" feature and allows sorting by citation count.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window Database covering many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, and online repositories. Use Eduroam (on campus), or the VPN (off-campus) to access full-text of UCSC subscribed content.

Database Tutorial

Take the Academic Search Complete Tutorial!

This tutorial provides an intro to this multidisciplinary database. This database includes articles from a broad range of topics, many with full text. After completing this tutorial you'll be able to: