1. Academic Search Complete from EBSCO

2.  On many platforms –
like
EBSCO, Gale, Infotra
c, Proquest.
 Here are all the
many databases you
could be searching
in EBSCO

3.  We have a few databases that are good for a
multitude of topics. - we call them good
multi-disciplinary databases.
 Today, we’re going to search one from EBSCO
called
Academic
Search
Complete:

4.  From the
Library
Homepage
http://library.highpoint.edu/

5.  You should have brainstormed some keywords
from the last module. Get those ready!
 Your search screen will look like the one below.
So…what do you put in the highlighted boxes?
 Hint: there are many right answers and you
might have to try many combinations of your
keywords to get the articles you want.

6.  In the last section you viewed, you learned about
the words AND, OR, and NOT.
 You will use AND & OR the most.
 Imagine the articles you would like to find in the
database.
 Arrange your keywords into facets of your topic.
These facets are put into the database with the
word AND.
 Think of alternatives to each of your main
keywords. These synonyms are put into the
database with the word OR.

7.  In this example, I organize my keywords into a
chart. This chart is attached to this module. Print it
out and organize or at least think of your keywords
in this format.
 My Sample Topic: What are the effects of cell
phone use on college students?
 I pulled out my main keywords and put them in the
top bubbles, like this. Write in the search word
AND between the keywords.

8.  Write in your alternative keywords below each main
keyword. These can be exact synonyms, or they
can be related words.
 Write the search word OR on the lines between
synonyms.

9.  Notice that I put words I wanted to keep
together, like “college students” in QUOTES.
 This tells the database that you want to
look for articles that have that exact phrase
in there.
 Once you have your keywords organized on
paper or mentally, you are ready to put
these in the database!

10. • See how I’ve transferred the
keywords with the search
words AND & OR into the
library’s database fields.
• Use your quotation marks as needed, and put a main keyword group
in each search box, separating the similar words with OR.
• Each search box is already connected with the word AND, highlighted
above. Use this feature to help organize your search.

11.  You won’t always need ALL of your keywords.
 The point of this is:
◦ You don’t know without trying different words
which ones are going to work in the library
databases.
◦ The “perfect” article or the ones you have in mind
may not exist. This is good! You want to say
something original in your papers – the articles you
look for in the database should be related, but not
exactly what you are trying to say.

12.  How many search results
did you get?
 Typically, when searching
Google or related sites, you
only look at the first one or
two pages of results.
 Therefore, if you get a LOT
of results, you should
narrow down your search.
 Here are some ways to
quickly do that:

13.  42 Results are much easier to deal
with!
 Full Text is your friend – always
check this box first to see what is
available in the database.
 I also altered my dates to only
include magazines articles
published since the year 2000.
 Now… what if you have the
opposite problem?

14.  If you’re getting no results or just a few, you
should look at your keywords again.
◦ Remove some of your AND words. Remember:
adding another facet narrows your search.
◦ Add some more OR words or synonyms. These will
broaden your search.
◦ Look at any quotation marks you used in the
database. Are you putting quotation marks around
words that aren’t that common together?
◦ Think of some broader keywords. In my example, I
included the word technology as an OR word for “cell
phones.” This is a much bigger group of stuff and
broadens my search considerably.

15.  Once you have a manageable number of
results, take a look at what you’ve found.
 Like in Google, each article has a clickable link in
the title to get to more information.
 Clicking the top link in this screenshot will lead
you to the next slide.

16.  This article was
written in Time
magazine, and is
short, only two
pages long.
 Pay attention to
the subject
terms under the
article’s
information.
These can help
you think of
additional
keywords that
may work better
in the database
than your own!

17.  This tool box is on the right hand
side of each article you click on.
 Print out the article for free in black
and white in the library.
 Email the article to yourself so you
don’t lose it.
 Use the Cite function to grab all of
the information you’ll need for MLA
citation. Copy/Paste this info
somewhere you will remember.
 Use the Permalink link to grab a web
address that will work if you want to
share the article with your professor
or someone else.

18.  Research can be time
consuming.
Expect to spend time:
◦ Reading articles and finding ones that both work and
those that don’t.
◦ Brainstorming alternative keywords and plugging
them into the database. Try and try again.
◦ Asking for help if you get stuck.
◦ Reconsider your research question/topic. It may not
be the same as when you start searching.

19.  Organize your keywords from the last
module. You may use the attached PDF or
not.
 Find the database on the library website.
 Try keywords. Try other keywords.
 Read articles.
 Find one that you believe will add to your
research. Print it out/Email it to yourself.