Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES) Research Project

Library databases are collections of descriptions of research resources such as articles, books, dissertations, and reports. Some databases focus on a specific discipline; others are multi-disciplinary.

Searching these resources is different from searching the Internet. K-State Libraries pays to subscribe to the databases; they are not found in an online search.

• Keywords: Break your topic into key concepts; list relevant terminology/keywords and synonyms.
  • AND = both concepts must be present, limits the search (Ex. stormwater AND management)
  • OR = great for synonyms, expands the search  (Ex. "universal design" OR "inclusive design")
  • NOT = exclude an unrelated term, limits the search (Ex. "nigel coates" NOT "book review")
• Advanced search: Search fields like journal title, publication date, institution, etc.
• Subject headings: Use the language/terminology of a database by looking for a Thesaurus, Subject Headings, Subjects, Keywords, or Descriptors.
• Truncation: Includes all possible endings: teen* searches for "teen", "teens", "teenager", "teenagers", etc.
• Wildcard: Replaces any character: wom?n searches for "women" or "woman."
• Help: Click help or for database-specific instructions.

For more information about multidisciplinary databases Scopus and Web of Science see the pages under "Finding Sources".

• A small set of terms or phrases describing what the information object is about.
• The terms are controlled. This means that the same term is used for the same concept each time, e.g., females instead of women OR ladies OR girls.
• These terms can help you find related items quickly.

• For Eric, ProQuest Nursing and PsycInfo, access the Thesaurus from the advanced search screen:

• Search for a term. It is best to use single-word searches. After searching, click entries of interest to learn more.

• You can conduct searches from the thesaurus by clicking boxes next to terms. Exploding is a quick way to search for a term and all terms below it in the hierarchy.

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