To find articles in the Schurz Library, you'll need to start by using a periodical index or a journal database. To access the journal databases, go to the Reference & Research page, and click on the pull-down menu that says, "To Look for Articles."

For more information about which journal database to choose, see the selecting a database guide.

Once in a journal database, you'll begin by using keywords to search your topic. Keyword searching in most library databases is fairly simple: type in the key words from your research question. For example, if I want to do research on whether or not medication is overprescribed in the case of attention deficit disorder, I might type in the phrase ADD and medication. You can also begin your search with a single concept as a way to help you narrow your research topic. For example, I might type in attention deficit disorder in order to see what kinds of research existed on that topic.

It's important to think like a thesaurus when you're using keyword searching. For example, in the search ADD and medication, I might make these substitutions in order to get good search results:

For ADD, try:

Attention Deficit Disorder

ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder

Attention deficit

For medication, try:

Over-prescription

Prescription drugs

You can also look carefully at an article's item record to find out what subject headings or official terminology were assigned to that article when it was entered into the database. That terminology is often the most precise way to search. For more information or assistance with this concept (librarians call it controlled vocabulary), just ask a librarian.

For more assistance with database searching, see these Database Search Tips.