Tricks in database searching for concept analysis terms.

FIRSTSEARCH examples

BACK TO: STRATEGIES BASED ON DATABASE
BACK TO: FIELD LABELS
BACK TO: PROXIMITY SEARCHING
BACK TO: SYNONYMS and TRUNCATION
BACK TO: The goal of the literature review

FIRSTSEARCH Databases include:
AcxiomBiz, ArticleFirst CWI* Contemporary Women's Issues, ArtIndex, Biography Index, BookReview, Dissertations, EconLit, Education Index, Essay & General Literture, FactSearch, GEOBASE, GPO U.S. government publications, Humanities Index, InternetPCAbs, Legal Periodical Index, Library Literature Index, MEDLINE, News Abs, PAIS Database, Papers First*, Proceedings*, PsycINFO_1887, ReadersGuideAbs, RILM_Music_Abstracts*, SIRS Researcher, Union Lists of periodicals, World Almanac, WorldCat

 

TRUNCATION
(WILDCARDS):

PROXIMITY
(replace nn with a number)

LOGICAL OR

FIRSTSEARCH

*

Nnn

OR

Some databases may have too many synonyms for certain truncated terms. In these cases all synonyms for those terms have to be explicitly written out.

Enter the phrase (substitute your concept term):
CONCEPT TERM N5 (DEFINE OR DEFINES OR DEFINED or CONCEPT OR CONCEPTS OR CONCEPTUAL or UNDERSTAND OR UNDERSTANDS OR UNDERSTANDING OR CONCEIVE OR CONCEIVES OR CONCEIVED OR UNDERSTOOD)

FIRST: Paste search phrase
SECOND: Select ENGLISH LANGUAGE and JOURNAL ARTICLE
FOURTH: Click SEARCH

If no references are retrieved, go broader and use the logical AND instead of a proximity search.

If too many references are retrieved, go narrower with a logical AND for a term in the ABSTRACT field.

If too many articles are retrieved, the search can easily be modified. Consider adding the concept word to be searched in the abstract or title fields. You could also search for disciplines (art, sociology, computer*) as additional terms.

However, even when searching for disciplines, all terms probably have synonyms. 
I tend to add the phrase (Relig* or Theol* or Spirit*) when searching for religious items.

 

Go to: EBSCO examples

Go to: OVID examples

Go to: ACADEMIC UNIVERSE examples

Go to: SCIENCEDIRECT examples

Go to: INFOTRAC examples

Helen Hough, Health Sciences Librarian, University of Texas at Arlington. This page covered by all applicable copyright laws.