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Oklahoma City Community College Keith Leftwich Memorial Library

Library Research Help

Learn how to use Library resources during the research process.

Finding Articles

  1. For very recent, current information
  2. Easy to find credible information 
  3. Cover very specific subjects
  4. Popular topics
  5. Alternative viewpoints
  6. Reports on scholarly research

When using a database to find articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers, it is important to understand the different types of sources.

Scholarly Sources 

  • Scholarly, or "peer-reviewed" sources, are written by scholars for other scholars and students in a particular field.
  • These sources undergo an extensive review process (peer-review) before they are published.
  • Usually uses highly technical, specific language in the article. 

Trade Sources 

  • Trade sources are written for experts and students in a given field.
  • Although they are not scholarly in nature, trade publications can be excellent sources of information.

Popular Sources 

  • Popular sources are written for a general audience.
  • Popular sources range from entertainment magazines like People to highly regarded national newspapers, such as The New York Times.
  • Evaluate articles to make sure they are credible and relevant to your assignment. 

Researching platforms, like EBSCOHost, uses a different set of vocabulary words than you may have used before. Below you will find terms that will help you refine your results while searching. 

  • Databases: Select relevant databases that are related to your search. Selecting all the databases will bring back results that aren't related to your topic.
  • Keywords: Use keywords, not sentences .
  • Add Keywords: Add additional keywords in the second or third search box to help narrow your topic.
  • Exclude Keywords: If your results bring back a lot of articles that isn't what you're looking for, but has a keyword in common, you can remove it from your search by using "NOT" instead of "AND" in the keyword area.
  • Full Text: Limits your results to only articles that are available to be viewed in their entirety. This is good for when you really want to find an article you can start reading right away, but bad because you will not see results for articles that are available in paper format in the OCCC Library. Also, you will not see other relevant articles that are not owned that you could then order via Interlibrary Loan. 
  • Peer Reviewed: Limits your results to only peer reviewed or scholarly articles.Your instructor will let you know if you need this type of article. If you aren't sure, ask your instructor or let a librarian read your assignment. 
  • Publication Date: Check to see if your assignment requires an article to be published within a specific date range. 
  • Source Type: Limits your results to a specific source like newspaper, magazine, or academic journal. 
  • Change Keywords: Sometimes there are synonyms for different words. If you don't like your results, consider changing the keyword to something similar (example: child, infant, toddler, etc.)

Selecting all the databases will bring back results that aren't related to your topic. The following links are good databases to use to find articles when researching.

Scholarly vs Popular Resources

Instructions: To make this Prezi work, select the "Start Prezi" in the middle of the screen. Use the arrows to move to the next screen or go back a screen. You may make the Prezi full screen, or zoom in and out with the arrows on the right, or using the scroll button on your mouse. 

Interlibrary Loan

If the OCCC Library does not have the book or article that you need, you may be able to use Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

What is ILL?

  • ILL is a free service available to OCCC students, faculty, and staff.
  • It allows the OCCC Library to borrow books and articles we do not own from libraries across the U.S. 

ILL links libraries across the nation for sharing resources, based on the principles that no single library can acquire everything and that furthering knowledge is in the public interest.

Using an EBSCOHost Database

EBSCOHost is a great way to get the articles you need for class. Follow the steps below or use the slide show to get started.

  • From the library homepage, locate the "Start Your Search" box.
  • Select "EBSCOHost Databases" from the "Articles" tab.
  • Type in your keywords or search terms into the search bar.
  • Review your results by scrolling down the page.
    • You can add filters or limiters from the "All Filters" button.
  • Click on the title of the article to view the item's record.
  • To begin viewing, click on PDF Full Text or HTML Full Text under the title of the article.
    • If an article you want does not have these options, use the Interlibrary Loan form to request a copy. A link to the form should be in the article record where you would see the PDF Full Text or HTML Full Text.

You can access citation and emailing tools from icons located towards the top right of your screen.

EBSCOHostDatabases by OCCCLibrary

Searching in EBSCOhost

Not sure how to use EBSCOhost? Use the following tutorials to help you get you started.

Consider the following tutorials for additional tips and tricks on using EBSCOhost databases.