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Search Tips
Boolean operators connect your search terms in order to narrow or widen your search results from a database. The three main operators are AND, OR, and NOT.
- AND includes other terms and widens your results.
- Ex: houselessness AND mental health
- OR connects multiple terms and broadens your results.
- Ex: houselessness OR homelessness
- NOT excludes certain words and narrows your results.
- Ex: houselessness NOT youth
Quotes and asterisks are other helpful tools that you can use when using databases.
- Quotes around a certain phrase tells the database to search those two words together and in a specific order.
- Ex: if you wanted to research LGBTQ youth, you might search "LGBTQ youth" in order to avoid results that only mention "LGBTQ" or "youth".
- Asterisks are used in truncation, a technique that broadens your search to include various word endings and spellings. An asterisk is placed at the end of the root of the word you are searching.
- Ex: searching "child*" would give you results that contain the terms child, childs, children, childrens, or childhood.
Discover Advanced Search
Use Request Item to get books from other campuses
Additional Databases
A list of databases that have content related to topics you'll be exploring in this class:
- GenderWatch [ProQuest] 1970+ This link opens in a new window Full text publications on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new window Links to scholarly books, articles and more. Results are incomplete and vary greatly by subject. Always use the libraries' research databases for a complete search of scholarly topics.
- ProQuest Black Studies This link opens in a new window This database combines primary and secondary sources, including leading historical Black newspapers, archival documents and collections, key government materials, videos, writings by major Black intellectuals and leaders, scholarly journals, and essays by top scholars in Black Studies. Includes former database "Black Studies Center".
- PsycINFO [EBSCO] 1887+ Worldwide coverage of 1300+ journals, books, and dissertations in the behavioral sciences, psychology, mental health, medicine, etc.
News Sources
- Find NewsThe library's guide for finding national, global, and archival news.
- Ethnic NewsWatch [ProQuest] 1960+ This link opens in a new window Full text newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press.
- ICT Previously Indian Country Today, ICT is an independent, nonprofit, multimedia news enterprise that covers Indigenous peoples.
- New York Times, 1851+ This link opens in a new window Full text access to current issues and a complete archive (does not include The Crossword). The first time you click on this link, you will be prompted to create your own New York Times account, using your Smith email address. After that you can go directly to nytimes.com or use the NYTimes app from anywhere, on any device and gain full access with the login you've created. Spanish and Chinese language editions also available. Faculty and staff need to refresh their account annually.
- Nexis Uni (Coverage varies by title) This link opens in a new window New Lexis-Nexis interface, with a single search box, plus filters to refine searches; users are encouraged to register for an ID & password, to take advantage of personalization features. Covers a wide range of news, business, legal & reference information; includes federal & state laws & cases.