The resources on this page are designed to help you find journal articles and other types of sources for research projects. You'll also find search strategies to help you find the best sources for your topic.
Not sure where to start? This interactive tutorial will walk you through how to search for articles.
Brainstorming Keywords
Start by by thinking about the main ideas that are related to your topic. The PICO format (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) can help you think about these concepts. Consider using synonyms of your keywords to help find even more information. For example, if you are looking for articles about the benefits of exercise for patients with heart disease, you might start with the keywords and synonyms below:
| Keyword | Synonym 1 | Synonym 2 |
|---|---|---|
| heart disease | cardiovascular disease | |
| exercise | fitness | physical activity |
Searching for Keywords
Creating a grid like the one above can also help you enter your keywords when you're searching in the databases. Put each distinct concept (heart disease, exercise) on a separate line with AND in between. This will give you results that mention both of these concepts, rather than just one or the other.
Next, add each set of synonyms to the same line and type the word "or" in between. For the keywords in the example above, your search boxes would look something like this:
When you're looking at search results in a database you're going to see a few different ways to get to the full article, usually either:
OR
Both of these will take you to the article (if we have access).
If you see the Access Options screen below, it means we don't have full-text access to the article. Try Google Scholar first to see if it's available for free. If not, click Request via Interlibrary Loan. We'll get the article for you from another library, usually within a few days.
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Social Work
1. Open Google Scholar.
2. Click on the Settings link at the top of the Google Scholar page.
3. On the Scholar Settings page, click Library Links in the left sidebar.
4. Enter Simmons University into the search bar and click search.
5. If prompted, check Simmons University - Check Simmons Full Text.
6. Click Save at the bottom of the screen.
Did you know?
When you find a relevant article, you can use resources like Google Scholar and Scopus to see other articles that have cited the original one.
Check out the Searching Citation Indices guide for more information about citation searching.