To find scholars writing in popular sources, try these strategies:
LexisNexis Academic: Use "Dr. OR Professor" to search the Author field on the News > All News page. The National Review is included in this database as well as The New York Times and many other newspapers and magazines.
Academic Search Complete: Includes many political and current events magazines. More difficult to isolate biographical information about an author, but the search below will get you started, searching for "Professor" in All Text. Look for results where the match is made for "Professor" in the "Author Affiliation" field of the article's record. For example, here's a search for 9/11 editorials by professors in The Nation:
Our Find Opinions, Editorials, and Opposing Viewpoints guide includes a list of political and current events magazines with links to the full text of each. Try the same strategies when searching those titles, using a "Professor" search either in an author or all-text field.
Still stuck? Contact Meghan or Ask a Librarian!
LexisNexis Academic: Use "Dr. OR Professor" to search the Author field on the News > All News page. The National Review is included in this database as well as The New York Times and many other newspapers and magazines.
Academic Search Complete: Includes many political and current events magazines. More difficult to isolate biographical information about an author, but the search below will get you started, searching for "Professor" in All Text. Look for results where the match is made for "Professor" in the "Author Affiliation" field of the article's record. For example, here's a search for 9/11 editorials by professors in The Nation:
Our Find Opinions, Editorials, and Opposing Viewpoints guide includes a list of political and current events magazines with links to the full text of each. Try the same strategies when searching those titles, using a "Professor" search either in an author or all-text field.
Still stuck? Contact Meghan or Ask a Librarian!
Popular Magazines vs. Scholarly Journals
This grid will help you distinguish between scholarly (peer-reviewed) articles and popular articles.
Compare your article with the components of a scholarly article.
How to Evaluate Books, Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers
This guide provides you with some criteria and tips for exploring the credibility of a source by assessing authority, accuracy, currency, objectivity, and purpose
This grid will help you distinguish between scholarly (peer-reviewed) articles and popular articles.
Compare your article with the components of a scholarly article.
How to Evaluate Books, Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers
This guide provides you with some criteria and tips for exploring the credibility of a source by assessing authority, accuracy, currency, objectivity, and purpose
Start by finding broad overviews of your chosen topic. These sources are good for background knowledge, keyword brainstorming, identifying important names, dates, and events, identifying various aspects of your topics, narrowing your topic, and finding other sources using the bibliographies presented at the bottom of entries.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library: Search 100s of subject encyclopedias online to find background information and define your topic. Includes many health-related titles
Because library article databases have to be searched differently than Google and require searching for concepts and keywords rather than phrases, it's best to start by brainstorming keywords.
Choose keywords that represent the main concepts of your topic. Then for each concept, choose a number of keywords, including synonyms and related terms. If you're getting too many results, think of other terms that narrows the topic. If you're getting too few results, think of terms that broaden your topic.
Then combine them using AND and OR
Choose keywords that represent the main concepts of your topic. Then for each concept, choose a number of keywords, including synonyms and related terms. If you're getting too many results, think of other terms that narrows the topic. If you're getting too few results, think of terms that broaden your topic.
Then combine them using AND and OR
- AND narrows your search by looking for articles with all of the words
- OR broadens your search by looking for articles with any of the words
This keyword tool lets you brainstorm online and send the results in a grid to yourself.
Example: Newspaper article- In a Reversal, Military Trials for 9/11 Cases.
A trial for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and the other September 11 plotters on U.S. soil would show America's commitment to the rule of law.
By adding a third concept, you narrow your results if you get too many things searching for just "9/11 AND trial".
Example: Newspaper article- In a Reversal, Military Trials for 9/11 Cases.
A trial for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and the other September 11 plotters on U.S. soil would show America's commitment to the rule of law.
OR | Concept 1 | AND | Concept 2 | AND | Concept 3 |
Sept* 11 | trial | Khalid Shaikh Mohammed | |||
9/11 | U.S. Court | mastermind | |||
terrorist attacks | criminal charges | terrorist |
By adding a third concept, you narrow your results if you get too many things searching for just "9/11 AND trial".
TIP! In most databases, use * to truncate (using Sept* does an OR search for you: Sept. 11 OR September 11), In LexisNexis Academic, use ! to truncate (ex: Sept!).
TIP! Avoid keywords like "effect," "cause," "pro," and/or "con" -- these terms fail to provide the precision you need in developing an efficient database search. Instead, consider the concepts that would need to appear in an article for it to contain information relevant to your topic.
TIP! Avoid keywords like "effect," "cause," "pro," and/or "con" -- these terms fail to provide the precision you need in developing an efficient database search. Instead, consider the concepts that would need to appear in an article for it to contain information relevant to your topic.
www.lib.utexas.edu > Research Tools > Find Articles Using Databases
Multidisciplinary: Find popular and scholarly articles from across disciplines.
Newspapers
LexisNexis Academic: Full text of newspapers from the U.S. and around the world, many same day of publication
InfoTrac Newstand: Full-text access to local, national and international newspapers
Factiva: Full-text articles to top national and international newspapers
Alt-Press Watch: Alternative and Independent press of America
More newspapers
LexisNexis Academic: Full text of newspapers from the U.S. and around the world, many same day of publication
InfoTrac Newstand: Full-text access to local, national and international newspapers
Factiva: Full-text articles to top national and international newspapers
Alt-Press Watch: Alternative and Independent press of America
More newspapers
Multidisciplinary: Find popular and scholarly articles from across disciplines.
Academic Search Complete: Find popular and scholarly articles from across disciplines.
Academic OneFile: Find popular and scholarly articles from across disciplines.
JSTOR : Find scholarly articles from across disciplines.
Subject
PAIS: Political, social, and public policy issues. Scholarly articles as well as books and book chapters, conference proceedings and reports.
Business Source Complete: Popular and scholarly articles from the field of business. Coverage of airport security issues.
ATLA Religion Database: Religious, theological and related scholarship.
Military and Government Collection:Military and general interest publications.
America: History and Life: Citations for articles on U.S. current affairs and history. Use the Find It @ UT button to read the article.
Historical Abstracts: Citations from worldwide literature (excluding the U.S. and Canada). Use the Find It @ UT button to read the article.
Databases by Subject: Choose a database by academic discipline to search the literature of that field.
Academic OneFile: Find popular and scholarly articles from across disciplines.
JSTOR : Find scholarly articles from across disciplines.
Subject
PAIS: Political, social, and public policy issues. Scholarly articles as well as books and book chapters, conference proceedings and reports.
Business Source Complete: Popular and scholarly articles from the field of business. Coverage of airport security issues.
ATLA Religion Database: Religious, theological and related scholarship.
Military and Government Collection:Military and general interest publications.
America: History and Life: Citations for articles on U.S. current affairs and history. Use the Find It @ UT button to read the article.
Historical Abstracts: Citations from worldwide literature (excluding the U.S. and Canada). Use the Find It @ UT button to read the article.
Databases by Subject: Choose a database by academic discipline to search the literature of that field.
Find Opinion
Use the Libraries' Find Opinions, Editorials and Opposing Viewpoints page to search opinion & editorial sources. If you know what journal you'd like to use, Find It at the libraries.
Use the Libraries' Find Opinions, Editorials and Opposing Viewpoints page to search opinion & editorial sources. If you know what journal you'd like to use, Find It at the libraries.
Here's an example of how you might combine the keywords you brainstormed to construct an effective database search in Academic Search Complete
Each concept is translated into a search box, with each search box connected with "AND."
Each concept is translated into a search box, with each search box connected with "AND."
If an article is not full-text in the database you are searching, you have two options:
1)Follow .gif)
to see if it is available in another database or in print in the library.
to see if it is available in another database or in print in the library.OR
2) Search for the title of the journal (not the title of the article) in the Library Catalog or the
Find a Journal page to see if it is available electronically or in print.
Find a Journal page to see if it is available electronically or in print.
Start here: www.lib.utexas.edu > Research Tools > Library Catalog
- Start with a keyword search to find books on your topic
- Follow useful Subjects to find more books on the topic
- Tip: Search inside books using GoogleBooks and then check the Library Catalog to see if we have the book.
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States Final Report
The Avalon Project from the Yale Law School
Understanding 9/11: A Television News Archive
The 9/11 Tapes: The Story in the Air - Selections of audio originally intended to be part of the 9/11 Commission's 2004 report, from the New York Times
Full Audio Transcript from the Rutgers Law Review
National September 11 Memorial Museum Archive: Browse over 600 archived 9/11-related website, including memorial and personal websites
The Avalon Project from the Yale Law School
Understanding 9/11: A Television News Archive
The 9/11 Tapes: The Story in the Air - Selections of audio originally intended to be part of the 9/11 Commission's 2004 report, from the New York Times
Full Audio Transcript from the Rutgers Law Review
National September 11 Memorial Museum Archive: Browse over 600 archived 9/11-related website, including memorial and personal websites
- NoodleBib: Create bibliographies in APA style. View tutorial for more info.
- Guide to Citing Sources
- All About Plagiarism tutorial
- Undergraduate Writing Center
- Thursday, November, 8, 7pm – 9pm
- Wednesday, November 14, 11:30 – 1:30pm
- Tuesday, November 27, 7pm – 9pm
Contact the course librarian:
Meghan Sitar
msitar@austin.utexas.edu
495-4449
Chat with a Librarian
Monday-Thursday, 10am - midnight
Friday, 10am - 4pm
Sunday, 6pm - midnight
PCL Information and Research Help Desk
512-495-4250
Hours
For Undergraduates
Meghan Sitar
msitar@austin.utexas.edu
495-4449
Chat with a Librarian
Monday-Thursday, 10am - midnight
Friday, 10am - 4pm
Sunday, 6pm - midnight
PCL Information and Research Help Desk
512-495-4250
Hours
For Undergraduates
