Off-campus Resources for High School Students

1. Put quotation marks around phrases

Keep phrases intact as you search. That way, if you search "New Mexico" you'll get results about the state, rather than random results that contain "new" and "mexico." This also works for "criminal justice system," or "social justice."

From PubMed Central:

search box with new mexico infants typed in

This search will return health and medical articles (because it's being done in PubMed Central) about infants in New Mexico, not new infants or Mexico infants.

2. Break up concepts - advanced search

Most databases default to a "basic search."

single search box in Gale eBooks database

 

If you use the Advanced Search option, you can break up concepts in order to easily edit and keep track of keyword combinations. Here's an example from Gale eBooks. I am searching (and entering quotation marks) for "new mexico" and "water supply." That way, I can try synonyms of "water supply," such as "water table" or "water conservation."

advanced search grid of nine boxes in Gale eBooks database

 

You can also change the option in the dropdown menu:

image caption instead of keyword in one dropdown menu box

3. Use Limiters

Limiters appear once you do your initial search. They help you narrow down your search results.

Here's an example of Publication Date and Descriptor limiters from the database ERIC (U.S. Dept of Ed):

publication date and descriptor breakdown in ERIC database

4. Look for citation tools

Many databases have included tools to help you research, like citation generators and an email option to send yourself an article.

Science.gov:

trash, print, email icons

PubMed Central:

Search result with arrow to citation link

Google Scholar:

Google scholar quotation mark icon to generate citation

Research is...

Time-consuming. I always think it will go faster than it actually does! Give yourself as much time as you can, not only to ease your stress, but also to read what you find and to follow your curiosity. If you're rushed, it's harder to find the patterns within the research. Slow down, take notes, and save your sources. One nice way to save your sources is to make a doc, paste in the citation, and write a note under the citation about your thoughts on the content of the source. This is called an annotated bibliography.

snail drawing