Research Guide: Articles

Use this guide to learn more about how to find articles at the Holman Library

Choosing a database

Picking a database

Use the link below to find databases which are most helpful for your subject area (English, Psychology, History, Biology...etc.)

Information types - when to use what?

Reference Sources 

Reference book articles, or academic encyclopedias, are a great place to start. Go to reference works for background knowledge, theoretical terms, an overview of the history of a subject or issues, key players - and leads to more information.

You can search the library's main search box, Holman Library One Search, and limit to Reference Entries, with such overview and background info that reference books are known for. Or, you can try searching Gale Virtual Reference Library (also called Gale Ebooks).

Search Tips

Read reference articles for:
  • background knowledge
  • theoretical terms
  • an overview of the history of a subject or issues
  • key players
  • leads to more information.

The screenshot below shows a list of search results in this database. You can see it shows many articles with the same title; notice the larger book each article comes from; these are all different subject-specific encyclopedias. Each article, though with exact or similar names, might discuss the same topic differently, from a different point of view, based on the overarching subject of the book. 

(click on the image to enlarge)

search results showing the different features of the database

Books & Ebooks

Books are a great resource when you need more in-depth coverage of a topic. The library has so many print books that you can check out or use in the library; however, there are even more you can access electronically, through the library's databases. One nice thing about print and ebooks is that you don't have to read the whole thing! Consider a chapter or a short article from a book. 

Read books, book chapters, and essays in anthologies for:

  • in-depth analysis
  • history
  • opinion
  • theory
  • multiple perspectives
     

Holman Library logo

Search for print books, ebooks, using simple search terms. 


Ebook Databases

Or, if you know you want to search just for ebooks - which allow you to carry out word searches, copy and paste text directly from the page, and print or download content, as well as getting an MLA or APA citation - try using the databases below to search by keyword, title, author, or topic.  

Newspaper Articles

Through the library's databases, you have access to thousands of newspaper articles. 

Read newspaper articles for:
image of newspapers
  • a daily account of events and issues on a local, regional, national or international scale
  • analysis of current issues
  • editorial and opinion pieces
  • business, environment, and science news


You can access newspaper articles in many of the library's databases, but the ones featured here are a great place to start! 

Search Tips

When searching for newspaper articles in these databases, but sure to limit to them under Source Type. This is always on the Advanced Search option, but it's also usually off to the side of the results, on the menu where you can limit by date, subject, language, and more.

(click on image to enlarge)

menu of limiters in ProQuest, showing to limit to full-text, and Newspapers

Image source: all photos taken by GRC librarians

Magazine Articles

You can access magazine articles through the library's databases. 

Read magazine articles for:

image of magazine covers

 

  • more in-depth discussion of current events and issues in the news
  • longer articles written for an interested audience in lay-person language
  • topics on technology, health, science, business, and more
  • illustrations: charts, pictures, and graphs

Search Tips & Suggested Databases

Try searching for magazine articles in the databases below. Search by title, author, or simply enter in search terms. Once you see a list of results be sure to....

  • Limit your results to Full-Text (if you want to only see results for articles you can immediately download). 
  • Limit to magazine articles under Source Types, on the menu to the left of your results.

Image source: all photos take by GRC librarians

Audio & Video Sources

The library's databases have access to many streaming films, DVDs, and different audio sources.

  • documentaries on current science, engineering, and business topics
  • informed discussion and analysis
  • case studies
  • background information
Try searching for films in the databases below:

Search Tips

When searching in One Search, from the library's homepage, just limit to Audio and/or Video on the menu to the left, under Source Type as shown in the image below.

(click on image to enlarge)

menu of limiters to narrow or revise your search, showing to click on videos and/or audio under Source Type

Scholarly Articles

Scholarly articles are often written by scholars or researchers for other scholars or researchers, in order to present original research. These articles are published in journals, and some of these journals even undergo an extra editing process called the peer-review process. 

Read scholarly articles to learn about: 
  • current research
  • in-depth analysis
  • professional terminology
  • find data, statistics, charts, and other factual information
  • to get a sense of the scope of the scholarly conversation on your subject
  • to find leads to more information on your subject

 

Try searching the following databases for scholarly articles - limiting to Journals and/or Academic Journals on the menu to the left of your results. 

  • Keep in mind that there are many subject-specific databases. You can search in databases for business, nursing, history, psychology, and more. The databases below are multidisciplinary and therefore a great place to start.

Note: The video linked here was created by a GRC librarian and may take a moment or two to load!

Understanding Boolean Operators | AND OR NOT

Boolean Operators            

A search technique using AND/OR/NOT (see the online tutorial for more information); used in the library catalog, databases, and Google.

Boolean Operators are a simple way of controlling your search results. You can narrow a search by using AND, you can broaden your search by using OR, and you can narrow your search by excluding certain words using NOT. You can use these tools in the library's catalog, databases, and even in Google. 

In the image below, you can see the built-in Boolean operators just next to the search box. These are always found in the advanced search page and can be used to combine terms and get to the information you need. 

(click on image to enlarge)

Screenshot of the advanced search boxes in the database, showing the built in Boolean Operators AND OR NOT


View the video below to see how these operators work to better help you find what you need

Source: "Boolean Operators" by Emily Wixson, Standard YouTube license