LIT 147: Article Databases

If your initial search results in too many results:

• Use additional search terms
• Try synonyms for your original term(s)
• Search for full-text articles only
• Limit your search to more recent materials, the last five years, for example

Are you at home or in a coffee shop? No worries! You can still use these resources.

Clicking on these links takes you to a login page. Use the info below to login.

Parkland Students

Username = your Parkland email username (example: library1@stu.parkland.edu / username = library1)

Password = Parkland email password

Use this to find information on authors or about the books you are reading:

Literary Reference Center

- good for plot summaries, author biographies, presentation images

Use these to find magazine and scholarly journals, plus book reviews:

Academic Search Complete

Omnifile Full Text Select

Use these to find newspaper articles:

Lexis-Nexis Academic

- good for INTERNATIONAL news stories (hint: Africa)

Use these to find articles on controversial issues:

Opposing Viewipoints (Expert opinions on controversial topics)

CQ Researcher (in-depth reports on hot topics)

 - both of these are good for women's rights issues

Useful Tips:

· Look beyond the first 10.  Your results are probably arranged by date, not by relevance.  There may be good stuff a way down the list.

· When you see something good, READ IT—look at the subject terms and abstract.

· Click on the Subject Terms to find more articles on that specific topic.

FAQ
What if I can’t link to full text?

See a librarian!  It may be in a different database, available in our paper subscriptions, or available from another library.  We can help you navigate those choices.

How do I know which database to try?

The ones on the “Top Five” lists are good places to start.  Be sure to see if the drop-down menus might apply to your topic, and choose a database from there.  Or ask a librarian by phone, email or chat. 

Saving/Emailing the Article

Most of the databases have an option for emailing and/or saving the article. Look for the Tools box. Create yourself a folder for the specific course or assignment so you can easily refer back to the articles that might be useful for your topic.