What is a peer-reviewed article? (2:58)

Using Google Scholar to Find Articles (3:02)

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) - Requesting Missing Articles for Free (2:24)
Note: Please allow 1 - 3 days for delivery of article via email.

*** Choosing the Right Search Terms ***

Example Research Question: Should college athletes get paid?

Step 1. Identify the main concepts in your research question. These are often the who, what, where, when, why words in your topic.

Main concepts: college, athletes, and paid

Step 2. Make a list of keywords or search terms that you can use based off of your main concepts. These are often synonyms, or different words that mean the same thing. Since you are searching in an academic database, which usually contains a high percentage of scholarly content (information written by experts for experts), consider how your instructor or another expert might describe the topic (i.e., "academic speak").

Are there any technical terms that you might not be aware of (e.g., heart attacks are often called myocardial infarction in academic writing). Another way to determine good keyword is to look at the vocabulary authors are using in a good article you find and use similar terms in your search.

Keywords for college: college, collegiate, university, post secondary, school, etc.

Athletes: athletes, athletics, sports, players, football players, basketball players, etc.

Paid: paid, pay, compensation, scholarships, stipend, etc.

If you are unsure about the articles you've selected, you can email me the PDF and I can quickly scan it to make sure it's an acceptable article.

*** Advanced Search Techniques ***

Once you have identified your keywords, you can begin to enter your search terms into the search box(es). Since you usually have multiple concepts that you want to include (ex. college, athletes, and paid), you can use Boolean operators to connect them.

Boolean Operators, the words AND, OR, and NOT, are used to connect and define the relationship between your keywords and main concepts. Using Boolean operators in a search will help to narrow or expand your search results. See the image below for how you can use Boolean operators while searching.

Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT)