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MSW 520 Course Guide

Scholarly Sources and Search Tips

 

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,

To get more focused results:

Use quotation marks (" ") to keep phrases together

Use AND to combine different keywords

"mirror therapy" AND stroke

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)

Venn diagram of boolean operators

Social Work Databases

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