History 110 - History of Science and Medicine

This guide will walk you through finding the full text of an article, starting from the main library search. 

1. From search results, first make sure what you're interested in is an article. It will be indicated by "Article" before the title - where the green check is in the picture. Then click on the article title, indicated by the red arrow in the image. 

2. Click "Available Online", indicated by the red arrow. This will show you the options for accessing the full article. This article has three options - highlighted by the red bracket. Pay attention to the dates listed under the title - you want to pick a source that includes the date of your article. All three options here are fine. Click any of the areas at which the green arrows point (titles and symbols). This will take you to the full article.

NOTE: Sometimes database links will take you to the journal rather than the individual article. If that happens, you can use the citation to find the article. Look at the year, volume and issue in the citation, and use them to navigate to the article for which you're looking.

3. Download the article. The download option will look a bit different in different databases. JSTOR, where the below pic is from, has the download button at the top, above the PDF viewer. 

1. Meet the document (any primary source). Think about basic characteristics of the document.

2. Observe its parts. Who created it? When and where is it from?

3. Try to make sense of it. What information does it tell you? Why was it created? How does it related to historical events?

4. Use it as historical evidence. How does this support your understanding of an event or topic? How could you use the source?

For suggestions for how to analyze specific types of primary sources, consult the Library of Congress or the National Archives.

Boolean Operators

Search terms are joined with words called Boolean operators. These are in all caps. If you use the Advanced Search option in PsycInfo, you can set options on the left hand side, between boxes. 

OR: Using OR expands your results - results have either term or both: 

AND: Using AND narrows results - results only have both terms: 

NOT: Using NOT excludes a term. This is used less frequently. Use it if there is one word that refers to multiple concepts and you only want a specific concept.

Choosing a Boolean Operator

When do you use which term?

• Join synonyms with OR. Ex: children OR adolescents OR juveniles OR teenagers 
• Join different search terms/concepts with AND. Ex: Children AND note taking
• Narrow in your search with NOT. Ex: Children NOT adolescents

Combine these search strategies and terms to make your search. You can use parentheses to group terms together. Ex: (children OR adolescents) AND (note taking OR study strategies)

Search Tips

• Use quotation marks to search a phrase. Ex: "note taking" Try both with and without quotes, as searching "note taking" might exclude "note-taking"
• Check your spelling! 
• Try synonyms - a thesaurus can be helpful. Remember, there's one built into PsycInfo
• THERE IS NO PERFECT SEARCH. If you don't get the results you want with the first terms you try, try other options and other combinations. 

Looking for more assistance with your research? See the History Subject Guide or our Research Tips and Tricks tutorial.