Instead of typing your research topic
Effectiveness of abstinence sex education vs comprehensive sex education for adolescents.
Pick out one or two key ideas and build a search statement using search connectors AND, OR
In SOME search systems, truncating a keyword may help you to find more results:
PubMed (includes Medline & OldMedline:1950-present) The leading source for articles from medical and health-related journals. More info
Tips:
- AND connector isn't required but it will help you to remember to avoid typing phrases and sentences
- Truncation symbol * - use with care, it turns off some nice "behind the scenes" search features!
- No peer review limiter, but PubMed is very careful about which publications are included. If in doubt as to whether a journal has been peer reviewed, check the journal home page OR search for a description of the journal in Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
- Comparatively little full text, no Journal Finder links
Keyword Searching:
- Type a topic: Effectiveness and sex education and abstinence and comprehensive
- Limits tab: set Languages to English and Ages to adolescent
Results:
Why so few? Try other search terms or work from a useful-looking article to others like it. Hit hyperlinked author name to see detailed view:
- View an abstract (if available) - Determine if this source might be useful, maybe gain a different keyword
- Display: Citation to see the MeSH headings - GREAT source for recommended search terms
- If all else fails, open a useful article and scan the references list
To get full text, open a tab or window to Journal Finder. Type the full name of the journal to find out if we subscribe.
ERIC on EBSCOhost search platform (1967-present) Guide to education literature. Very useful for school settings and student populations early education through college.
Searching:
- Will default to phrase searching, so use AND between keywords
- Truncation symbol * is recommended if you need to increase the number of results: sex ed*
- To search a variation of an keyword, use OR: comprehensive and sex education and (effectiveness or evaluation)
- You can limit to particular educational levels, such as high school, junior high school, middle school
Results:
- Look at the detailed view to see subject headings and abstracts
- EJ = Journal Finder, follow “check for full text” link to see if we own the journal
- ED = ERIC doc, hopefully available online from ERIC (if not, the library has the microfiche through 07/2004 in storage)
PsycInfo on EBSCOhost (1872 to present) Guide to psychological literature. Includes topics such as stress, community health, mental health and behavioral issues. More info
Tips:
- Uses same search commands as other databases on EBSCOhost, but content is quite different!
- Search limits to note: peer review, language, age groups, document type
When you get results, scan the citation for a note indicating what you've found.
- Is it a journal article? Follow the "Check for full text" link to search the library catalog.
- Is it a book chapter? Search the library catalog for the title of the book.
- Is it a dissertation? Place an ILL request and hope that the lending library will allow the dissertation to leave their institution.
CINAHL on EBSCOhost (1937 - present) Most emphasis is on nursing and allied health literature.
Tips:
Journal Finder-Guide to Jackson Library serial subscriptions (newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals). Searches catalog for print subscriptions; searches 280 databases and electronic journal collections for online subscriptions. Most Jackson Library database subscriptions have Journal Finder links next to article citations, but you may also search Journal Finder using the link on the library home page, if you know exactly which volume, issue and pages of which journal your article was published in.
Search by JOURNAL TITLE (International Family Planning Perspectives)
Do NOT search by:
- Topic (reproductive behavior and india)
- Article title (Contraceptive knowledge, practices, and utilization of services in rural India)
