UNDERGRADUATE LIBRARY

What is it?

• Expanded Academic ASAP is just one of many databases provided by Infotrac. Is is a good general database that covers the humanities, social science, science and technology, news, and general interest magazines. It contains more than 3,500 indexed and full-text titles of which 2,100 are peer-reviewed.

Why use it?

• Good starting point for research on almost any topic.
• Contains periodicals from the sciences, humanities, social sciences, education, and language and literature. Articles range from the 1980s to the very current.

Which subjects is this database best for?

• Because of its broad subject coverage, it’s a good starting point for almost any subject.

Getting to it

• A direct link is available from the Undergraduate Library Find Articles page under the Starting Points heading.
• You can search for the database from the Online Research Resources page. Search for it by title.
• If you are off-campus you can get to the database the same way, but you will be asked to provide your NetID and password.

Searching

• The default search is the Subject Guide Search. When you enter your search term, results are returned in the form of a subject guide list. The subject terms will pull together all articles about a given topic. Click on the subject term to view articles about the subject.
• Click on Subdivisions to make your search more specific. Clicking on a term from the subject guide list will take you to a list of articles.

Tips and tricks to focus and improve your search

• Limit your results to make your search more focused—cut out the results you know you won’t be interested in from the beginning! Limit options are located directly below the search bar. You may search for full text only, peer reviewed, etc. You may also limit by publication date, title, and publication subject.
  NOTE: Limiting to full-text is not recommended, as you will miss many good articles about your topic.

Too FEW results?

• Have you used too many words? If you’re in the subject guide search form, the database expects you to search one word or phrase. Try cutting back to that.
• Use the subject guide Related Subjects option to view concepts or articles related to your research topic. This broadens your search.
• Try alternative words to describe your subject.

Too MANY results?

• Try using additional words to narrow your results. The more words you include, the fewer results you get.
• Use the subject guide Subdivisions option to see the narrower aspects of your topic. View these results.
• If you have found good articles already, what subject headings or keywords were used? Try using these in your search.
• Us the Limit options to further focus your search.

Finding the articles

• Look at the top of a record to see whether it’s available in full text.
• HTML Full Text - If the full text is available in HTML, the record will say Full-text. Scroll down the page to see it.
• PDF Full Text - If the full text is available in PDF, the record will indicate the number of PDF pages. Click on the link to open the article in a new window.
• If the full text is not indicated, the record will usually include the citation or abstract.
  • To locate the article itself search the Online Research Resources for the periodical title, follow the database link(s) provided and repeat your search for the title of the article itself.
    NOTE: The Discover full text linking is not available in this database at this time. OR
  • Search the UIUC Online Library Catalog for the periodical title to locate libraries that have print copies of the periodical.

Saving the best sources

• Mark the articles you would like to keep by clicking on the box labeled Mark.
• Click the Marked Items icon at the top of the screen.
• Select E-mail, Print, or Download from the available options. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Citing your sources

• You must always cite the sources you find in full-text format from Expanded Academic ASAP. Citation guides are available:
  • In print at the Undergraduate Reference Desk (APA, MLA, Chicago Manual of Style and the Blue Book).
  • Online through the Writer's Workshop for APA and MLA - these pages highlight the most common types of works cited.
• Expanded Academic ASAP also provides the option to save your citations directly to RefWorks. Once you have marked the article.

Getting help

• Use the Help option in the upper right corner of the page or Ask a Librarian.