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Chapter 4 |
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Finding journal articles |
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4.1 |
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4.2 |
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4.3 |
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4.4 |
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4.5 |
Searching
databases |
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4.6 |
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Related links
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PsycINFO
Help
Click the Help button at
any time for details about the function you are
currently trying to complete. |
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Finding
the full-text
Not
all journals cited in a database is available in
the UNSW Library. You must check the LRD
for details or, where available, click on the SFX
link. |
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 Searching
databases |
Before you begin any database search, it is important that you
plan (use the four-step
search plan as mentioned earlier). PsycINFO is a specialised
database that utilises Subject Headings to help us
search more accurately. The basic rules to searching this database
are: |
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| Database essentials |
Note |
Watch |
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| a.
Subject search |
Where possible,
always do a subject/thesaurus search to begin with, especially
in a database like PsycINFO (NB. Not all
databases have this feature and some don't have an extensive
thesaurus). |
1:20 mins |
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| b.
Combining searches |
Search terms/concepts
one at a time and combine them later using the Boolean
operators AND,
OR,
& NOT.
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0:22 mins |
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| c.
Viewing and evaluating your results |
Always
look at the results of your searches and evaluate them
to see if they are relevant for your assignment/research.
- Is the content relevant?
- Does the article really address the subject you need?
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0:50 mins |
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| d.
Keyword search |
Use this when the database
does not have a subject heading matching your searched
term, or when the database doesn't have a subject search.
Keyword searching merely searches for the occurance of
the term in the record. Eg. searching for aids
as a subject heading will retrieve only records about
the disease aids but searching aids
as keywords will retrieve any records that contains the
terms, eg. foreign aids, hearing aids, etc. |
0:49 mins |
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| e.
Refining your search |
If you are not
satisfied with the results of your search, you will need
to refine it by going back to your
search plan.
- Do you need more specific
concepts?
- Do you need to try another database?
Too many hits? Irrevelant
results?
Search for another concept then use the
Boolean operator AND to combine it with previous
results,
OR
limit your search
Use the PsycINFO Limit
icon to access a range of limits that can
be applied to your search eg. language, publication
date, publication type, age group, etc. |
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Too few hits? Zero results?
Search synonyms for each concept and combine
them with the Boolean operator OR
OR
Remove any limits
OR
Use truncation $ to include various
spellings and forms of each word |
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| f.
Getting the full article |
Once you
have a citation to your article, you will need to check
if the library holds the journal that it was published
in (whether in print or electronic format). Once you
have a journal citation, you can search the Library
Resources Database (LRD) to see if the library has
this journal (see
section 4 of Chapter 2: Finding items on a
reading list).
However, some databases such as PsycINFO
provide direct links to such information. It can also
provide links to the full-text. When viewing the results
from a database search and SFX links
are available, you can use it as a short cut to determining
the UNSW Library holdings for the journal. |
1:37 mins |
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