Search for Articles: SAPL Subscription Databases
If you're looking for articles about a career, company, or related topic, begin with library subscription databases. All you need is your San Antonio Public Library card number to access these databases. Here are recommended databases:
- Business Source Complete
Includes full-text articles and indexing and abstracts for the most important scholarly business journals back as far as 1886 are included. In addition, searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,300 journals. Search for company and industry information, as well as career information. - Academic Search Complete Interdisciplinary database containing more than 4,500 full-text journals and magazines. Indexes an additional 4,000 periodical titles.
- Vocational and Career Collection Provides full text coverage for more than 350 trade and industry-related periodicals. Oriented toward trade and technical occupations and careers.
- Regional Business NewsIncorporates full-text coverage of more than 80 regional business publications covering all metropolitan and rural areas within the United States.
- Small Business Reference CenterA collection of small business management resources, including periodicals and reference content. From conducting industry research to financial planning, to marketing a product and franchising a business, you will find all the information you need to succeed.
Database Search Tips
- Think about your question.
- Break it into key concepts and identify terms for each concept. Start with fewer words. Less yields more.
- Think about which individuals or groups of people or organizations are associated with your topic. These might be additional terms to search.
- Consider what type of information you need and where you might find it.
- Use Boolean connectors like and, or, and not to connect keywords. Many databases search the words as a phrase otherwise.
- Truncation characters such as an * (asterisk) can expand your search by retrieving various forms of a word, e.g., comput* retrieves computer, computers, computing, computation, etc.
Evaluating Article Relevance
- Look at subject terms applied to relevant articles. Did you find additional articles by searching these subject headings?
- Which terms or search strategies yielded the best results?
- Look at the abstract. Are there additional keyword terms you might search?
- Don't be too narrow in your search, especially initially.
- How long is the article?
- Who is the author of the article?
- In which journal or periodical was this article published?