Searching EBSCOhost A guide to searching and retrieving information from the EBSCOhost Databases

What is EBSCOhost? EBSCOhost is a powerful online reference system accessible via the Internet. The NWOSU library subscribes to many databases through EBSCO. You can search these databases to find journal, magazine, and newspaper articles. The goal of this tutorial is to demonstrate how you can use EBSCOhost to find the materials you need.

Access EBSCOhost

The EBSCO Portal

Choose Your Database

Basic Keyword Search

Basic Results You can sort the results by date, author, or relevance. This toolbar lets you narrow your search even more

6/26/2007 Refine Your Search

Boolean Operators separate or combine search terms. Advanced Search Fields allow you to specify how EBSO should look for your keyword.

Subject Search Type your keyword or phrase, choose “Subject Terms” from the dropdown menu and click “search.”

7/17/2007 Narrow Results by Subject EBSCO provides more specific subject terms for you to choose from when bringing up the results of your search. Clicking a subject link will take you to a new list of results pertaining to that subject.

Limiting You can use as many or as few limiters as needed to narrow and refine your search.

Limiters Defined Full text asks EBSCO to limit your results to those records that appear full text on the internet and can be read on the computer and printed for further use. EBSCO allows you to limit the results within a certain time frame. You can also pick a publication to look for specific results. You can also have EBSCO tell you if the record might be available in a paper copy from one of the NWOSU libraries. NOTE: This option limits the results to ONLY those records that might be available from one of the campus library collections. Use the scroll bars to see more options in these areas.

Citation View The links in citation view jump to a list of articles by the same author… …or other articles under the same subject terms. The abstract summarizes the article.

Item Availability in the Library

Source Information Go to the library homepage and use the NWOSU Online Catalog to find out if the issue of the journal you need is available in the library. The citation information for the article should appear right beneath the title. Otherwise, use the citation view as discussed before to get the information you need.

Journal Titles in the Library Catalog Access the catalog from the library homepage and search for the title of a journal listed in EBSCO.

Journal Title Keyword Search

Library Catalog Information Some titles and holdings are not listed in the catalog, so check the shelves if the catalog does not give you enough information. If you cannot find the journal or newspaper title in the catalog or on the shelves, ask the reference assistant for help. The information in the catalog will tell you what issues are on the shelf and what library they are available from. Journals are shelved alphabetically by title in the reference or anex section of the library.

Title Search in EBSCO

Journal Name Search in EBSCO

Results of a Journal Name Search When you do a Journal Name Search, all of your results will be from the journal you named as a source.

Saving Searches to a Folder You can add a record to a folder by clicking the available icon from the search screen.

Adding a Record to Your Folder You can also add a record to a folder by clicking the link available in the citation view.

Creating a “My EBSCOhost” folder The main folder link on the results page will take you to the temporary folder you have created by adding items. Click the link for “My EBSCOhost” to save your search results and create a permanent folder.

My EBSCOhost New User Information Click the “new account” link on the My EBSCOhost login screen.

Requesting an Article in EBSCO through Interlibrary Loan Click the ILL link available with many listings.

Information for Interlibrary Loan Just fill out your personal contact information and click “submit” at the bottom of the screen. A librarian will contact you about your item.

Tips and Pointers Read the descriptions of the EBSCO databases – some of the databases are for specialized areas of study (such as health or education) and may be helpful to your research (or hinder it if you are searching in the wrong database). When beginning your research, acquire as much basic information as possible about your topic before attempting to search EBSCO for supporting materials. Books in the library, dictionaries, and encyclopedias are a good way to familiarize yourself with the topic you are studying. If you are having problems or there is something you don’t understand, please ask any of the NWOSU library staff.

A Few More Don’t spread your search out over too many databases. Stay with about two – three at the most. Before you interlibrary loan an article, make sure you check the library catalog for local holdings. NWOSU Libraries may have a physical copy of the article. Do not attempt to input your entire topic phrase into the EBSCO search. If your topic is something like “depression and teen pregnancy,” inserting that phrase into EBSCO may not bring up the results you were hoping for. Break the topic down and do subject searches for keywords (such as depression or adolescence). This will allow you to look through a broader range of EBSCO results and narrow your search by linking to other headings. Restricting your search to find only full text articles may cause you to miss some relevant items that are available from one of the NWOSU libraries.

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