Head of Resources & Metadata Management
Mary Rausch
Contact:
West Texas A&M University
Cornette Library
Room #102E
WTAMU Box 60748
Canyon, TX 79016
Cornette Library
Room #102E
WTAMU Box 60748
Canyon, TX 79016
(806) 651-2219
Discover Search
Discover Search Explained
Simultaneously searches dozens of our databases, including Web of Science and ebook collection, plus the library catalog. Note:
- Watch dates on sources carefully - use limiters if needed.
- Choices to refine search results are to the right of the results list
- May select Scholarly (Peer reviewed) journals. This is at the publication level - evaluate the item you intend to use.
- Full text often available by clicking link under "View It" on item record.
- If not available in print or electronically, use Interlibrary Loan.
Core Resources
- Gale Academic OneFile This link opens in a new windowIndexing of more than 11,000 peer-reviewed journals and full text of more than 8,000, with coverage in such subject areas such as, biology, chemistry, criminal justice, economics, environmental science, history, marketing, political science, and psychology.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window** Expanded access continues as we work to implement a new contract for JSTOR's new all-access model, which will provide access to all archival journals and primary source content. **
Back volumes for 2,890 journals from the very first issue but usually excluding the most current 2-5 years, though almost 100 with coverage through the most recent issue. General subject areas include art & architecture, Asian studies, botany, ecology, economics, education, finance, history, language & literature, mathematics, music, philosophy, political science, population studies, sociology and statistics. - Sage Journals Online This link opens in a new windowFull-text from 860+ scholarly journals, with excellent coverage for criminology, psychology, sociology, health sciences and the humanities. Numerous journals also cover education, general and international business, and management.
Research Process
The research process can look different for everyone, and may look different from project to project, but most will have a few common features:
- Begin with a question you want answered. What are you most interested in learning?
- Decide what type of information you need: do you need newspapers, books, or scholarly articles?
- Gather and evaluate information: are your sources current, reliable, applicable, and unbiased?
- Is your question answered? Do you need more (or different) information? Do you need to change your question?
- Repeat 1-4 until you're ready to use the information: make a decision, write a paper, present, etc.
Don't forget to ask a librarian for help!
Developing Keywords
Make a research question from your topic.
- For example: "What is currently being done to help conserve the endangered Giant Panda population?"
- Keywords: conserve and Giant Panda
Think of related words.
- Conserve: conservation, preservation, protection
- Giant Panda: panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca (scientific name).
Get searching!
Search Strategies
Boolean Operators are words and symbols that group keywords in specific ways.
- Group keywords together with quotation marks to search as an exact phrase. Example: “Alfred Hitchcock”
- Use AND to combine several keywords or phrases. Example: “opening credits” AND typography
- Use OR to search for information about one term, and also articles about another term. Example: film OR cinema
- Use the asterisk * if you want to search multiple iterations of a keyword. Example: sequenc* = sequence, sequences, sequencing