Generating Keywords
AND narrows your search (fewer results);
OR broadens your search (more results) - use between synonyms
For more successful searches:
- Generate synonyms for keywords before you begin searching. Having a list of synonyms will help you if any of your keywords do not retrieve many results.
- Look at the subject headings that are used in the database records you've retrieved. These subject headings may lead you to keywords that you had not considered.
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Primary Sources
Primary sources are records of events as they are first described by people who were involved in the event. In the sciences, primary sources are published results of experiments, scientific discoveries or clinical trials.
Secondary Sources
Secondary sources offer an analysis or a summary of primary sources. Examples of secondary sources include textbooks, and books and articles that interpret or review research works.
Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary Loan is a free service that allows you to get journal articles that are not at OSU Libraries. To use this service, log in with your ONID username and password and fill out a request form.
You will receive an email when your article has arrived. Please allow at least one week for your article(s) to arrive.Citing Your Sources
Whenever you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or refer to the work of another, you are required to cite its source. Information about different citation styles can be found in this guide.
Finding Journal Articles
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SPORT Discus
A comprehensive database of sport and fitness literature on topics including sports medicine, exercise psychology, biomechanics, psychology, training, coaching, and physical education and fitness.
Coverage Dates: 1800 - present -
Medline (EBSCOhost)
MEDLINE is produced by the National Library of Medicine and is the largest biomedical literature database. Includes over 18 million citations to articles related to all aspects of health and medicine and is international in scope.
Coverage Dates: 1950 - present -
PsycInfo (via PsycNET)
Covers the professional and academic literature in psychology and related disciplines including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, and other areas.
Coverage Dates: 1887 -
Web of Science
The Web of Science provides access to a multidisciplinary database of bibliographic information gathered from thousands of scholarly journals. The databases are indexed so you can search for specific articles by subject, author, journal, and/or author address. Because the information stored about each article includes the article's reference list, you can also search the databases for articles that cite a known author or work.
Coverage Dates: 1970 - present
Locating Journal Articles at OSU
With the exception of articles that are available in full-text within a database, you will need to locate the actual journal (in print or online) to read the article.
In the database you are using, click on the "360 Link to Full Text" link. If the library has online access to that article, it will be displayed. If the library does not have an online subscription, then a link to the library catalog will be available to check if the journal is available in print. If a journal that you need is not available online or in print, then you will need to request the article through Interlibrary Loan.
Another way to find the full-text of an article is to look at the Source in your citation. The source is the journal in which the article is found.
- Step 1: Check the E-Journals list to see if the journal (aka "Source") you need is available online.
- Step 2: If the journal is not online, find the call number for the journal in which the article is found. (Use the library catalog for this step.)
- Step 3: Go to the floor of the library on which the call number can be found. Use the floormaps to help you.
Last Update: October 08, 2009 12:39
