This document provides instruction on how to effectively search databases to find articles on a given topic. It explains that keyword searches should use essential concepts like verbs and nouns rather than full sentences. An exercise demonstrates how incorporating synonyms and using Boolean operators like "AND" between concepts and "OR" between synonyms retrieves more relevant results than a single keyword search. The document concludes by recommending several academic databases for finding newspaper, magazine, and scholarly journal articles.

1. ENG 102Session 2:Finding Articles

2. TODAY’S OBJECTIVESBy the end of today’s session you will be able to:

3. Find magazine, newspaper, and journal articles on your topicHOW TO DO KEYWORD SEARCHESWhen using any type of search engine, do not type whole sentences, questions, etc. into search boxes. INSTEAD: DETERMINE WHAT YOUR ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS ARE

4. DETERMINING ESSENTIAL CONCEPTSEssential concepts Usually verbs or nounsThey describe your topicTopic : How can social networking sites help people find jobs?What are the ESEENTIAL CONCEPTSin this topic??????

5. AND A command you give to the database

6. It is put between the essential concepts in the search

7. Ex: social networking AND jobs

8. It tells the database to only find articles which include each of these termsEXERCISE 1Pretend you must find 6 articles on finding jobs using social networking sites.You look for articles by typing “social networking and jobs“ into the database.There are dozens of articles in the database on this topic just in the last 6 months. How many of them would you retrieve by the search you did?Look through the articles and create two piles. (1) those that would be retrieved (2) those that would not.

9. EXERCISE 1How many articles would you retrieve?Which ones?Which ones would not be retrieved? Why wouldn’t they be retrieved?

10. What’s the Point?What is the point of doing this exercise?

11. BOTTOM LINEThere are many words in the English language to describe the same/similar conceptWe limited ourselves too much by not incorporating synonyms into the search

12. BRAINSTORMING SYNONYMSSynonyms/related terms for social networking:Synonyms/related terms for job:

13. ORAnother command you give to the databaseIt is put between synonyms EX: job OR employmentIt tells the database to look for articles in which either of the words appear

14. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHERFormula for search statement:(all synonyms for key concept 1 with OR in between each) AND (all synonyms for key concept 2 with OR in between each)

15. OUR SEARCH STATEMENT

16. EXERCISE 2Look at the article abstracts and determine how many we would retrieve now with our new search statement.How many?

17. Using article databasesWhen you want to find newspaper, magazine, or journal articles on a topic use an article databaseThese are specialized search engines available thru the SCC library website These search engines are not available freely thru the web (i.e. by googling)Databases vs. Googling

18. Suggested databasesAcademic Search PremierAcademic One FileNational NewspapersOpposing Viewpoints

19. Off Campus Login

20. FINDING NEWSPAPER ARTICLESUse a newspaper specific database National NewspapersOR Use Academic Search Premier or Opposing Viewpoints w/ the newspaper limit.