SOWK 5000: Research Methods for Generalist Practice: Home

Databases

In today's class, we will use three different tools: the EBSCO suite of databases, Google Scholar, and Web of Science.

They are all linked on this page, but it also important to know how to access these databases using the library web site.

1. Start at the Libraries' home page (linked below).
2. Select the "all databases" link beneath the Summon search box.
3. Find the name of the database in the alphabetical list. Hint: click on the first letter of the name of the database in the alphabet at the top to get to a shorter list of databases that start with that letter.

Found a great (relevant) article? Use it to your advantage.

Three strategies for finding additional sources published by a specific author

Click on the author's name in EBSCO

In the record (description) for each article, the author's name may be hyperlinked. Clicking on their name will take you to other articles published by that author. Look through that list for other relevant articles. Keep in mind that the author's entire body of work may exist in spaces other than EBSCO.

Search for the author's name in Google Scholar

Search for an author's name in Google Scholar (scholar.google.com). If they have created a profile in Google Scholar, it will appear at the top of the results list. Click on their profile to get a list of their publications.

Google the author

The author may have a web site and/or a curriculum vitae (CV), or academic resume, listing their accomplishments and other publications. Check their publications for others dealing with your research question.

You can then check the library web site for access to those sources through BGSU.

Click on the journal title in EBSCO

1. In the record (description) for the article, click on the title of the journal.
2. If you are presented with a list of all articles from that journal, type keywords related to your topic in the second search box at the top.
3. If you are presented with a page that describes the journal, look for the link above the journal title that says "search within this publication", then type keywords related to your topic in the second search box at the top.

Locate the library's subscription for the journal (if it's not in EBSCO)

1. Begin at the BGSU Libraries home page (linked above).
2. Select the "Journals by title" link underneath the Summon search box.
3. Search for the title of the journal in which the source was published.
4. If BGSU has a subscription, you will see one or more options for accessing the journal. Below those, you will see a search box to "search inside this journal".
5. Add keywords related to your topic in this search box to look for relevant articles within the journal.

Forward chaining: look for more recent articles that cite the relevant article you found

Google Scholar

1. To begin, search for your item in Google Scholar using words from the title, the author, etc.
2. The results will be ranked by relevance, with matching titles closer to the top. Beneath each entry, you will see a link that says "Cited by" and a number.  Look carefully, as there may be more than one entry matching your search.
3. Clicking on "Cited by" will bring up a list of citing documents in Google Scholar. These are arranged with the most highly cited works at the top. To locate a copy of these works, you can look for [PDF] links on the right, or links to Find it @ BGSU to the right.
4. You can further narrow you search by searching within the citing articles.  Just check the box below the search box, and enter your search.  The results will be a subset of the citing articles identified above.

Web of Science

Web of Science is an index (in database format) to articles in scholarly journals and conference proceedings from all fields of study, plus the ability to search these articles' bibliographies by cited author or work.

1. In Web of Science, change the drop down box to the left of the search box to select title (or author, if you prefer to search for a specific expert) and type the title of an article. Disclaimer: your article may not appear in Web of Science.
2. In your results list, to the right of each article title you will see the number of citations.
3. Click on the number to get a list of the articles that have cited the one you searched for. Keep in mind that this list may not be exhaustive.
4. Click on "find it" button to check BGSU's access to the article.

Backward Chaining: look for articles cited in the source you already have

How to check BGSU's journal subscriptions

1. Begin at the BGSU Libraries home page.
2. Select the "Journals by title" link underneath the Summon search box.
3. Search for the title of the journal in which the source was published.
4. If BGSU has a subscription, you will see one or more options for accessing the journal. Below those, you will see a search box to "search inside this journal".
5. Add the first 3-5 words of the article title or the author's name in this search box to look for relevant articles within the journal. If this doesn't work for you, skip to steps 6-8
6. If BGSU has a subscription, you will see one or more options for accessing the journal. Each link for access should include the dates covered.
7. Select the option that matches.the day, month, and year and/or the volume and issue number in which the source was published.
8. Continue to drill down to the volume and issue number you need. When you get to the issue, your article title will be part of the list of all articles published in that issue.

Optional: Use Web of Science for backward citation chaining

1. In Web of Science, change the drop down box to the left of the search box to select title (or author, if you prefer to search for a specific expert) and type the title of an article. Disclaimer: your article may not appear in Web of Science.
2. In your results list, to the right of each article title you will see the number of references.
3. Click on the number to get a list of the articles that the author of that article cited. This list may not be exhaustive.
4. Click on the "find it" button to check BGSU's access to the article.

How do I get full text? Try "find it" first. 

Click on the "access options" box. If you don't see "PDF" or "online full text" options, use the "Find it" link. One of the following scenarios may happen after clicking on "Find it"; the link will:

• take you directly to the article at the publisher's web site
• take you to the publisher's web site, where you may need to search again for the article title
• OR, you may find that we do not have a subscription for the article. In that case, you can request the article through a process called Interlibrary Loan (ILL)