Searching the Thomson-Gale Databases
Choosing the Right Database(s)
Choosing a Search
Method
Conducting a Subject Guide Search
Print, E-mail, and Other Retrieval Options
Choosing the Right Database(s)
When you click on "Gale Database Articles" from the library's homepage (http://library.sccsc.edu), you will come to a list of 19 databases. The first 10 of these can be searched either separately or together. The other 9 databases can only be searched by themselves. Choose the one(s) that meet your needs. A description is given underneath the name of each database.
To choose more than one database, click "select" by the databases you want to search and then click on "submit."
To search a single database, click on the name
of the database. In the example below "Academic OneFile" is being selected.
Once the database has been
selected, select how
you are going to search. The menu is located below the blue banner up at the
top. You can conduct a basic, subject, publication or advanced search. Note:
Basic Search is the default search.
The Three Basic
Search options:
Your best choice will
usually be keyword.
-
Basic Search by Keyword: Searches significant fields in documents, including titles, introductory text, authors and subject terms.
You can also use:
-
Basic Search by Subject: Searches words within articles' subject terms. Good for finding topics such as academic disciplines, companies, events, geographic locations, organizations, people, etc.
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Basic Search by Full Text: Looks for any word or words within the entire text of all documents, as well as in the fields of information included in the Keyword search. Good when searching for something obscure that cannot be found by either keyword or subject search.
Conducting the Search:
1. Type the search terms in the entry box.
2. When searching, be aware of the following
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Select just a few key words that you associate with your topic. For example, searching the terms "aids" and "africa" and "problem" will get you better results than searching "Aids in Africa, why it is a problem and what is being done"
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Join terms with the search connecter "and." Example: "aids and africa and problem." The word "and" works like a plus sign to connect terms.
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Use quotation marks for phrases. Example: "Gone with the Wind"
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If you do not get good results, try changing your terms. For example, try searching "cell phone" instead of "cellular telephone," or "car" instead of "automobile."
*If you have problems at this stage, talk to a librarian. We can help you get started.
3. You may also limit the search by full text (this will eliminate all items that are not full text), peer-reviewed (scholarly) publications, publication date or publication title. You may need to click on "more search options" to see these.
4. Click on the Search button or
hit Enter to submit
your search and see results.
Note: Use of quotations around a phrase, use of limiting word "and" and checking box to limit to full text
Conducting a Subject Guide Search
Try the Subject Guide Search if you have a broad topic and would like to browse through various kinds of information sources. You can narrow search as you go along. You will be searching a list of terms selected for you by the Thomson Gale Company.
Conducting the Search:
1.
Select "Subject Guide
Search."
2. Type the search terms in the entry box.
3. When searching, be aware of the following:
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It's usually best to search for only one or two words. If you enter more than one word, enter the most important word first, even if that looks backwards. For example, "Shakespeare, William" instead of "William Shakespeare."
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If you enter a word or phrase that does not match a subject heading, you will be taken to a list of subject headings alphabetically nearest the first term you entered. For example, searching the term "cheetos" will get you to a list of subject headings beginning with the letter "c."
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If you enter more than one term and there is not one subject heading that matches all the terms, you will be taken to the subject heading that matches the first term you entered. For example, searching "shakespeare and hamlet" or "shakespeare hamlet," will get you to all the subject headings related to "shakespeare."
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If you do not get any results, or if the subject headings that come up are not what you are looking for, try changing your terms. For example, searching the term "elderly" will get you better results then searching the term "old people." If after trying different terms you still do not get good results, try doing a "keyword" search from the basic search screen (see above).
4. You may also limit the search by full text to eliminate all material that doesn't come with full text, or peer-reviewed (scholarly) publications, publication date or publication title. You may need to click on "more search options" to see these. Remember you can talk with a librarian at this point to discuss the best words to use.
5. This takes you to a list of Subjects containing the term(s) you entered.
Click on the blue underlined subject to see a list of results.
Click on "subdivisions" to see more specific elements (or subtopics) of your subject.
Click on "Related Subjects" to see a list of other Subject Guide entries related to the current topic.
A successful basic, subject guide, publication or advanced search produces a list of one or more citations. Each citation provides information in a brief format.
At the top of each citation page, you'll see a summary of the search that led to the citations and an indication of which citations you're viewing out of the total number found.
At the left, you will see subject terms related to your search.
Click on the title to see the full record and the choices for printing or emailing a copy of
the full text (if available) If the article is available full-text, you
can click on either the title or the "full-text" link to see the complete
record and article.
Note this was a Basic Search, using key words with 2 linking "and" s and limited to full text.
Print, E-mail, and Other Retrieval Options
Once you click on an article
title, you will be taken to the full citation of the article as well as the
full-text (if available). Retrieval options are located in the "Tools" box
at the upper-right hand corner of the article. You
have the option to print, email or download the article.
Print Preview – By selecting this button, you will automatically reformat the article or citation for printing and get a clean copy of just the article.
E-mail - This allows you to send the text of a citation, abstract, or article to any valid Internet E-mail address.
The information needed to cite the articles is located at the beginning of the article. For examples on how to cite an article from one of the Gale databases in MLA format, go to the Library's MLA handout, http://library.sccsc.edu/handouts/mla_formats.htm, and look at the Gale Database Journal Article or Gale Database Magazine or Newspaper Article.
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Last Updated 09/16/2008