Finding Journal Articles using the JRULs Databases

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Finding Journal Articles using the JRULs
Databases
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Databases points to remember

• Databases are used to search for journal articles
  they tell you where to find articles.
• Databases tell you whats been published not
  necessarily what is held in the library
• Articles found on databases will need to be
  looked for on the library catalogue
  (or via FindIt_at_JRUL links if available)
• Very few databases contain full-text articles.
  BUT- this is changing, and now, some do.

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Are all databases the same?
Databases are subject specific. They can help you
focus and streamline your information searches,
so you can decide which articles are most
relevant to your study
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Electronic Journals Books
These are electronic versions of hard-copy ones.
Most are accessible off campus 24 hours a day
with a Central username and password.
Other usernames and passwords can be found on
the JRUL Electronic Resources webpage
Electronic Journals and Electronic Books are not
necessarily better quality than hard copy
resources they are just more accessible
(e-book)
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Searching for information.

• Easy as 1-2-3

Topic/Essay Question
Database Search
Journal Articles etc..


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www.manchester.ac.uk/library
Remember this is the page that links you to
everywhere else!
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Where can I find databases?
or the JRUL subject pages..
Look on the Electronic Resources page or on the
A-Z list of databases
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Which Databases could I use?
There are many databases useful for your subject
Ovid databases

• Cinahl
• Medline
• PsycInfo
• ASSIA
• Cochrane
• Web of Knowledge etc

Look at the JRULs subject webpages for further
information
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What can I do with Ovid?
You can set up your own Personal Account (scroll
right) and save searches
You can do Basic or Advanced searches
You can email search results and export them into
Endnote
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Free Text Searching
The Basic Search will support Free Text Searching
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Household Gas Cooking?!
But the results may not be very accurate
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Advanced Searching
Advanced Searching can help you streamline
results. You can do truncation searches, MeSH
searches, Author, Title and Journal searches etc.
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Narrowing your searches
The first search here was a free text search in
Basic Search
These 4 searches used the more specific MeSH,
Combine and Limits options and were narrowed
down (Advanced Search)
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Searching for Journal Articles

• Before you touch a computer grab a pen and some
  paper!
• First you need to think of your topic and
  structure your search

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Structuring a Database search

• Think of your topic/question
• The effects of cigarette smoke on asthma in
  pre-school children
• Think of the main concepts (words!)
• Asthma
• Cigarette smoke
• Pre-school children

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Building A Simple Search

• First, open your database and search for asthma
• Then, search for smoking
• Combine your first two searches
• Limit your third search to preschool child (2 to
  5 years)

(Medline 1996-08 Advanced Search)
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But my search isnt that simple
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MESH Headings

• Databases do not understand the context of a word
  you have to help the computer understand!
• The computer can talk to you through MESH (Map
  Term to Subject Heading)
• The Secret of successful searching is to find
  the right words to unlock the records

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MESH for Smoking
MeSH can point to words/phrases you may not have
thought of
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Related words help to build your search..

• Synonyms terms that have the same or a similar
  meaning (smoking / tobacco /nicotine)
• Different spellings i.e. English and American
• Different endings of a word
  i.e. organization, organizations, organizational

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Boolean OperatorsOR Broadens your search
Smoking
Asthma
Finds articles with BOTH concepts OR just one
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Boolean Operators AND Narrows your search
Smoking
Asthma
Finds articles with BOTH concepts in article
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Boolean OperatorsNOT Narrows your search
Smoking
Asthma
(This finds articles on cigarette smoking, but
not the ones with asthma in the same article.)
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Truncation

• Truncation signs - used at the end of a term to
  retrieve a number of word endings
• For example smok or smok will find smoker,
  smoking, smoke, smoked etc.

Databases tell you which signs they use for
truncation/wildcards)
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Wildcards!

• Wildcards the sign can be used as a
  substitute for one character or none.
• For example - womn will find woman and women
• The ? Sign can be used to find additional
  letters.
• For example - colo?r finds color and colour
  

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Too Many Articles?

• Use the limit options to refine your search
• Think of narrower more precise words
• Add in another concept (AND/ NOT)
• Just search subject headings rather than keywords
• Try limiting your search to age, gender,
  publication type etc.

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Too Few Articles?

• Look at your terminology . Think of alternative,
  broader, general words (terms)
• Add in synonymous (extra) terms (OR)
• Remove less important words (concepts)
• Reduce the number of limits
• Use truncation

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Please dont Panic!
We know it sounds complicated!
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Help is at hand

• Look on the JRUL homepage and explore links for
  help with electronic resources etc.
• Many of the powerpoints and other library
  induction material can be found on the JRULs
  Subject pages under Trainings and Guides
• Contact the library staff by email or telephone
  - We are happy to help

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Thank-you for your attention!

• See you again soon!

Claire Hodkinson email claire.hodkinson_at_manche
ster.ac.uk