Find Articles - The Basics

 Related guides: Find a Scholarly/Peer Reviewed Article

Once you are armed with a topic and a good collection of keywords, you are ready to begin your search. If you're in search of articles, there are a few options you have for finding them. Check them out below.

Now, let the searching begin!

Strategy 1: Find Articles with Research Database   Watch - Finding Articles in Research Databases
Transcript

When you are searching for articles on your topic, the first step you want to take is to choose the right library research database. A research database provides access to journal articles, magazines, and newspapers. Libraries subscribe to these databases. To find the WCC databases, start from the Bailey Library homepage at wccnet.edu/library and click the "databases" link below the Primo search box.

Under research support box. You will find two different options for locating databases: Databases by Subject or Databases A-to-Z. The Databases by Subject link is usually the easiest place to begin. Clicking this link will lead you to a list of databases grouped according to the subject that they cover so you'll find everything from arts and Business to streaming videos. I want to highlight the Pro/Con list of databases, a great place for basic information about a topic or for an argumentative essay or speech. If you are just getting started, the multi-subject category is a great place to start as it cover all topic areas.

Once you've chosen the database you want to use, click on its link to open it. For this demonstration, I'll use Academic Search Complete. From off-campus, you will be prompted to log in with a WCC username and password. Have skills that travel, the tips and tricks I will be showing you here can be applied from one database to another; let's say that my research topic is “do flower landscapes attract bees,” and I need full-text articles that have been recently published. I will use the advanced search option. enter "bees" and "flower landscape" into my search boxes and then click the Search button. This brings me to a search results page where I can see I have over five hundred articles.

Next, I scan the list of results by reading the titles and subject tags. Now I will limit to full-text by checking the box full-text. This reduces the number of articles to less than two hundred articles.Now, I will limit by date 2019 to 2024. Enter the date and press any key. And my results are fewer again.

You can click on the title of any result to view a summary or an abstract that tells you what the article is about. Read the abstract to determine whether or not the article will be useful to you before you read the entire article. To access the full article, click on one of the links on the left side of the page. In this case, we have a PDF full-text link, but we also have HTML full-text link or a full-text finder link. Any of these options will get you to the full article.
Once you have an article open, if you decide it's something that you want to use, there are several options that you have you can print, you can email. On the right hand side are these tools features where my mouse is. And you can download the article. You can share the article by clicking the permalink icon. And sending the link to share with someone. You may also need to cite this article and you have a cite tool where my mouse is mousing over the icon. Click it. And you will find APA and also MLA two formats used at WCC.
If you need help using databases or finding articles, reach out to a WCC Librarian! You will find the chat tool embedded in some of the databases for immediate help. Otherwise visit us in-person, send us an email chat, or meet us on Zoom with Book-a-Librarian. All available from the library homepage.

Practice your search skills with the interactive database searching tutorial.

Articles live in databases and can be found by doing a search with keywords (more on that in a moment). You have two options for finding databases at WCC:

Pro Tip: Don't limit yourself to one database. Searching multiple databases will give you access to more articles.

Once you've opened the database you want to use, plug your keywords into the search box. If you have more than one set of keywords to search with, using advanced search is your best bet. Don't worry - this won't make it harder. It will give you more options to tell the database what you're looking for from the get-go. 

Limiters are available in almost every database and help you tell the database exactly what you're looking for. They may look a little different in each database, but they work the same way and are usually located along the side or the top of the results page. Certain limiters can also be found on the initial search page.

Here are a few commonly used limiters:

Full-text - tells the database you only want full articles, not summaries or abstracts.

Scholarly/Peer Reviewed - tells the database you only want scholarly or peer reviewed articles. 

Date - allows you to tell the database that you only want articles from a certain range of dates. This is helpful if you are looking for only the most recent articles.

You can view an article by clicking on the title of the article from the results list. When a PDF of the article is available there is usually a link on the side of the page to open the full article. In Gale databases, you can click on the Download icon for a PDF version of the article. Once you are viewing the article you will notice options for printing, emailing, and citation tools on the side of the page. Below are a couple examples of this:

Academic Search Complete by EBSCO Tools

Gale Academic OneFile Tools

Strategy 2: Find Articles Using Primo Smart Search  

PRIMO Smart Search is Bailey Library's search engine that streamlines searching. You can use it to search for online articles, books, videos, and documents all in one place.

Interested in using PRIMO? PRIMO is the default search mode on the Bailey Library homepage. It is found under the Search All tab.

Pro Tip: Because PRIMO Smart Search pulls resources from many places, you'll end up with a lot of results when you search it. It's a powerful tool that takes a bit of practice, so it's helpful to try out different options to see what works best for your search.

Type your keywords into the search box. Keep your search short and simple to start. You can always add more keywords and limiters later. You can start with advanced search, which gives you more options for customizing your search right away.

The icons on the left will tell you what kind of document you are looking at. Look for clues like the title and subjects to see if you are on the right track. You can also view summaries of articles by clicking on the title.

Refine your search by using limiters and by adding more keywords, if needed.

Here are a few commonly used limiters:

Full-text - tells the database you only want full articles, not summaries or abstracts.

Scholarly/Peer Reviewed - tells the database you only want scholarly or peer reviewed articles. 

Date - allows you to tell the database that you only want articles from a certain range of dates. This is helpful if you are looking for only the most recent articles.

Strategy 3: Find Articles Using Google Scholar  

How do I access Bailey Library's licensed copies of articles that I find via Google Scholar?

Before you search Google Scholar, you must select preferences in the settings menu. Once you set and save your preferences, you will be able to link to library resources retrieved with a Google Scholar search.

1. Click Settings on the Google Scholar page.

2. Click Library links

4. Type "Washtenaw Community College" into the search box and click the search icon.

5. Check all of the Washtenaw Community College boxes. Then click Save.

6. Now you're ready to search. In the search results look for the Washtenaw Community College full-text link. (Note: Sometimes the link is labeled with the database name and not the library name - as long as a link appears on the right side of the page, you should have full-text access).

7. If you are trying to access library articles off-campus you will have to provide your NetID.

Making Google Scholar Work for You

1. Why does the "Washtenaw Community College " link appear next to some items and not others? 
Google Scholar displays this link after comparing the citation to our list of electronic subscriptions. Keep in mind that Google Scholar does not know when we have the print version, nor can it match an incomplete citation. So if the item is not available for free via the web, be sure to search our Online Catalog or PRIMO Smart Search to see if Bailey Library owns that title.

2. Is everything in Google Scholar free?
No. Google Scholar includes many citations that link directly to publishers' websites of which most will charge a fee for access. However, Bailey Library subscribes to a lot of the same or similar resources that can be accessed from our Online Catalog or databases.

4. How comprehensive is Google Scholar?
Google Scholar searches open access materials as well as items from many publishers, including some of the resources to which Bailey Library subscribes. However, Google Scholar only searches a fraction of the published scholarly literature. Use library resources like the Online Catalog, PRIMO Smart Search, and specific databases to search for a higher volume of full-text information.

5. How do I search by author, or limit to certain publications or dates in Google Scholar?
Use Advanced Scholar Search (click the bars on the on the top left side), which allows for author, publication and date range searching.