Boolean Operators
Boolean operators are words or symbols that are used in conjunction with words to refine searches.
Here are six helpful ones to use:
- AND - narrows
- Ex: ADHD and boys (this narrows down our results to only include ADHD and boys)
- NOT - excludes
- Ex: ADHD not boys (this narrows down our results to include things about ADHD excluding those that mention boys)
- OR - expands
- Ex: boys or males or guy (this expands our our search to search for multiple possible terms)
- * - expands
- Ex: rac* (using the asterisk in replace of an ending on a word will expand your search to include results that have any ending on the base word.)
- " " - exact phrase
- Ex: "executive functioning" (this pulls up results that are stated in the item exactly as written)
- ( ) - confine
- Ex: (ADHD or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) AND (boys or guys or males) - (this will instruct the database or search engine on what parts go together in your search phrase
Databases
Below you will find a selection of databases that MAY be helpful for your topic. As you all are looking at very different topics, not ever database will be helpful. This list is also just a starting point. You may find helpful resources in other databases and that's great!
- Communication Source This link opens in a new windowCommunication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC) offers full text and cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for journals covering communication, mass media, linguistics, rhetoric, language, logic, and other closely related fields.
- Education Source This link opens in a new windowFull-text for over 1700 journals, 550 books, and selected education-related conference papers. Covers elementary education, special education, literacy standards, multicultural/ethnic education, secondary education, and teaching methods. Encompasses all content from Education Research Complete.
- Google ScholarIncludes most peer-reviewed online journals from the largest scholarly publishers as well as scholarly books and non-peer reviewed journals. Links to full-text due to Milne Library subscriptions. A useful feature is the ability to see who cited an article.
- Humanities SourceIncludes both Humanities Full Text and Humanities International. Contains over 1400 full text journals with citations to over 3,500,000 articles.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowFull-text access to over 1400 core scholarly journals and e-books across most subject areas.
Can be used for course content: Titles from many university presses and other academic publishers. - MLA Directory of Periodicals This link opens in a new windowDetailed information on over 5,500 journals, with 4,400 currently indexed in the International Bibliography. The detailed entries include editorial contact information, as well as frequency, circulation, subscription prices and submission guidelines.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowContains over 2.3 million citations from more than 4,400 journals & series and 1,000 book publishers. Includes almost 60 titles from J-STOR's language and literature collection as well as links to full text. Coverage is from about 1920.
- Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new windowA guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words past and present from across the English-speaking world.
- ScienceDirect This link opens in a new windowProvides full-text access to journals in the fields of science, psychology, medicine, and technology.
