What are filters?

While Smith Libraries provides you with access to a great deal of resources, going through hundreds (or even thousands!) of results can make finding the best sources for your research intimidating. Filters allow you to narrow down your results when you use Discover Advanced, so you can find sources that are relevant to your research. 

Some examples of filters in Discover Advanced are: 

• Language 
• Publication Date
• Source Type
• Library Location
• Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals

How to use filters

In Discover Advanced you can find these filters either beneath the search box when you click "More Search Options" or on the results page on the lefthand side, referred to as "Refine Results." Based on what you're looking for, and what may have appeared in earlier searches, you will want to click on one of the filters to find what's best for your research.

For example, if your professor told you you're only allowed to include sources from the past 15 years, you could could set the publication date to 2008-2023. Or if you are looking for sources for a Spanish class, you could change the language to only include sources in Spanish. You could even limit the results to only include those that have the Full Text online so you can guarantee you'll be able to read it from anywhere.