Database Features / Tips

Readers Guide Abstracts (Ovid):

Features a browsable index of search terms; click the "search fields" icon, type in a term, then click "display index" to see the list of terms. You can then select terms from the index and click "perform search" to find articles containing those terms.

The Ovid search interface allows you to narrow your search by specifying the publication year, or by specifying that the term appear in a specific field (click the "fields" icon to perform a field-specific search).

In the Ovid interface, the $ character is a wildcard for word endings (for example polic$ finds policy, policies, police, policing, etc.).

Use the back button on your browser to return to your term paper guide.

Periodical Abstracts (FirstSearch):

The advanced search feature in FirstSearch allows you to search easily on multiple concepts or ideas. In both basic and advanced search, you have the option of selecting where in the record to search for terms (eg., in the article title or subject); make your selection from the pull-down list.

Features a browsable index of search terms. Type in a general, single-word term, such as pollution, then click the browse index button to see the subject terms starting with pollution (eg., pollution abatement, pollution control). Next to each term is the number of items indexed with that term. Clicking on the term will return those items.

First search interface has very limited truncation ability. Adding the plus symbol (+) to a root word finds the word itself, and the word with endings -s, -es (eg., cat+ finds cat, cats, cates). Note that policy+ would search for policy, policys, policyes, not policies. Use this feature with care. There is no truncation.

Academic Search Elite (EBSCO):

EBSCO allows you to search by field, or in all fields for terms.

The truncation symbol (to replace zero - multiple characters)is the asterix (*). The wildcard symbol (to replace a single character) is the question mark (?).

Applied Science and Technology, Wilson (Ovid):

This database features a browsable index of search terms. Click the "search fields" icon, type in a term, then click "display index" to see the list of terms. You can select terms from the index and click "perform search" to find articles containing those terms.

The Ovid search interface allows you to narrow your search by specifying the publication year, or by specifying that the term appear in a specific field (click the "fields" icon to perform a field-specific search).

In the Ovid interface, the $ character is a wildcard for word endings (for example polic$ finds policy, policies, police, policing).

General Science Abstracts, Wilson (Ovid):

The Ovid search interface allows you to narrow your search by specifying the publication year, or by specifying that the term appear in a specific field (click the "fields" icon to perform a field-specific search).

Features a browsable index of search terms; click the "search fields" icon, type in a term, then click "display index" to see the list of terms. You can select terms from the index and click "perform search" to find articles containing those terms.

In the Ovid interface, the $ character is a wildcard for word endings (for example polic$ finds policy, policies, police, policing, etc.).

WilsonSelect Full Text (FirstSearch):

The advanced search feature in FirstSearch allows you to search easily on multiple concepts or ideas. In both basic and advanced search, youcan select where in the record to search for terms (eg., in the article title or subject); make your selection from the pull-down list.

Features a browsable index of search terms. Type in a general, single-word term, such as pollution, then click the browse index button to see the subject terms starting with pollution (eg., pollution abatement, pollution control). Next to each term is the number of items indexed with that term. Clicking on the term will return those items.

First search interface has very limited truncation ability. Adding the plus symbol (+) to a root word finds instances of the word itself, and the word with endings -s, -es (eg., cat+ finds cat, cats, cates). Note that policy+ would search for policy, policys, policyes, not policies. Use this feature with care.

Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management Abstracts (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts):

The advanced search feature allows you to search easily on multiple concepts or ideas. In both quick and advanced search, you can select where in the record to search for terms (eg., in the article title, keywords, or anywhere); make your selection from the pull-down list.

The wildcard symbol in the Cambridge Scientific interface is the asterix (*). Use this to search for varations on a root word (polic* finds policy, policies, police, policing). You can also use a question mark (?) to represent a single character.

MEDLINE / PubMed (National Library of Medicine):

The wildcard symbol is the asterix (*). You may specify fields to search using a command language. For more information on the PubMed interface, see the Biology Library's PubMed Search Guide

CAB Abstracts and / or AGRICOLA (both from SilverPlatter):