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CM 9324 - The Law and Ethics of Mass Communication

Resources, search guidance, and information to assist students in successfully completing requirements for this course.

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Searching for Articles: Subscription Databases

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Database Search Tips

  • Consider what type of information you need and where you might find it.
  • Break your topic into key concepts and identify terms for each concept. Start with fewer words. Less yields more.
  • Don't be too narrow in your search, especially initially.
  • While it is possible to find sources on international or local topics, the strength of many of our academic databases is coverage of US national topics.
  • Use Boolean connectors like AND, OR, and NOT to connect keywords. Many databases search the words as a phrase otherwise.
  • In general, avoid using prepositions like "in," "of," and "on."
  • 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.
  • Look at the subject terms or descriptors that are used for articles that appear relevant. Try other searches using those terms.
  • In the sciences and social sciences, when starting a journal article search on a topic, consider adding systematic review or meta-analysis, or literature review in your search.
  • Consult a librarian or your faculty member for additional related terms.
  • Think about which individuals or groups of people or organizations are associated with your topic. These might be additional terms to search.

Evaluate Article Relevance & Quality

  • 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?
  • How long is the article?
  • In which journal or periodical was this article published? What is the journal's or magazine's reputation? How do you know?
  • When was the article published? What time period does the research or article cover?
  • Who is the author of the article? What are the author's credentials? What qualifies the author as an expert?
  • What sources are cited in this article?
  • How will this source advance the research project?
  • See Evaluate Information for more criteria.