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Database Help: Searching in the database platforms

Searching in the Database Platforms - EBSCOhost

​EBSCOhost has about 30 databases covering most of the subjects taught at Charles Sturt.

In EBSCOhost, you can change the database(s) you are searching by clicking on Choose Databases above the search boxes.

EBSCOhost defaults to a keyword search. If you type in tertiary education, this will search for tertiary AND education. To search for the phrase tertiary education, type in "tertiary education".

The field(s) to be searched defaults to Select a Field (optional): this includes the main fields in the records. To specify a field to be searched, use the drop-down menu.

To see the full record, and access various tools, click on the title of the item.

To see, and go back to, previous searches, use the Search History link below the search boxes.

There are a number of subject packages of EBSCOhost databases including:

EBSCOhost (Business)

EBSCOhost (Health)

EBSCOhost (Education)

EBSCOhost (Psychology)

ProQuest

ProQuest is a platform for nearly 100 databases covering most of the subjects taught at Charles Sturt. The database menu is organised in a hierarchical structure, with many of the top-level databases consisting of sets of subsidiary databases.

In ProQuest, you can change the database(s) you are searching by clicking on the Change Databases link.

ProQuest databases should default to the Advanced Search screen.

ProQuest defaults to a keyword-search. If you wish to search for the keyword tertiary and the keyword education, you should type in tertiary education. If you wish to search for the specific phrase tertiary education, you should type in "tertiary education".

ProQuest defaults to searching in Anywhere except full-text

To see, and go back to, the results of previous searches, click on the clock icon (Recent Searches) at the top right of screen. 

ProQuest has several subject packages of databases, as listed in the P-Databases.

Informit

The Informit advanced search screen has multiple boxes for search terms, and ways to limit your results

Informit is a platform for more than 80 databases which have mainly Australian content. Only some of the databases contain full-text content: many are simply indexes. The databases with Collection in the title are entirely full-text.

You can change the database(s) you are searching by clicking on Change Databases above the search box. You can then choose from a list of full-text databases or from a list of indexes. In the list of full-text databases, you can choose the option of Select databases I have access to (Charles Sturt subscribes to 12 of the 14).

We recommend that you use Advanced Search. This gives you multiples lines of search, and numerous limiters.

At the bottom of the Advanced Search screen, there is a set of Search Tips and a link to the handy Advanced Search Guide.

Ovid

​Ovid is a platform with a number of databases and with subject strengths in health and medicine, nursing, psychology, and earth sciences. It includes MEDLINE, a number of EBM Reviews databases, PsycINFO, and CAB Abstracts.

In Ovid, you can change the database(s) you are searching by clicking on Change in the Search panel.

Ovid databases should default to the Advanced Search screen. Here, the default is to a phrase search. If you wish to search for the specific phrase brain injury, you can type in brain injury (without quotation marks). If you wish to search for the keyword brain and the keyword injury, you should type in brain AND injury

In Basic Search you can enter your topic in pretty much whatever words you like, and your results will be tagged and sorted by relevance.

Ovid always displays your previous searches in a table above the search box. If you can't see all of your previous searches, click on the Expand link at the top right of this table.

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