Scholarly Sources and Search Tips
This video provides an overview of scholarly articles and how to identify them.
This video provides a brief introduction to searching the library databases.
| Tips | Examples |
| Use keywords, not long search phrases |
Instead of searching for "How effective is mirror therapy in improving motor function after a stroke?" break down your search into the main keywords: mirror therapy, motor function, stroke, |
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To get more focused results: Use quotation marks (" ") to keep phrases together Use AND to combine different keywords |
"mirror therapy" AND stroke |
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To get broader results: Use OR to combine similar/associated keywords Truncate words that have a variety of endings with a * |
(motor function OR mobility) AND "mirror therapy" AND rehabilitat*
rehabilitat* includes rehabilitation, rehabilitate, rehabilitated, rehabilitating |
| Look for ways to limit your search in the database | You can often limit by type of article (scholarly and peer-reviewed) & year of publication |
Venn Diagram of Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT)
- What's an authoritative health source?This 5-minute tutorial will discuss finding "authoritative" health sources.
- What's a scholarly journal article?This 9-minute tutorial will cover how to identify whether an article is "scholarly" and how to search for these types of articles.