Searching for Articles

To find articles, use the Library Databases. Academic Search Complete and Academic OneFile Select are both large, multi-subject databases that can be a good place to start.

Follow these steps for finding articles:

  1. Keep your search simple. Enter basic terms for each aspect of your topic, such as “energy drinks and health.”
  2. Limits – most databases have options to limit your results for a better list. Look for these options: 
    - Full-text: for quick access to the entire article 
    - Date: for current results 
    - Academic/Scholarly journals (some assignments require this)
  3. Evaluate your results. Use the title of the article, the abstract (summary) and the subject terms to decide if the articles will be relevant to your topic. Try different search terms to get better or different results. Ask a Librarian if you need help searching.  
  4. To display the full article, click on the PDF icon, the "HTML Full Text" link, or the "Full Text Finder" icon.
  5. Please contact a librarian if you need any assistance.

Need more help? Check out this step-by-step guide about finding articles.