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Public Health Research Guide

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,

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