International Resources: Subject Guide: Find Articles/Reports

1.  For off-campus access, enter your Campus ID and Password at the prompt.

2. Use the Advanced Search option within the database you are using to achieve the best results.

3. Keep your search terms brief and concise.

4. Check your spelling. Library databases do not correct spelling errors.

5. If your first set of search terms doesn't retrieve any results, try using synonyms or alternate terms that describe your topic.

6. You can search for different forms of a word (different word endings of the same word), by typing the first few letters followed by an asterisk. Example:

• econom* will search for economy, economies, economics, economical, etc.

7. Use double quotation marks around two or more words to search as a phrase. Example:

• “political economy" 

8. Use the connecting words AND and OR to narrow or broaden your search. Examples:

• liberty AND freedom - to search for articles that include both terms (narrows your search)
• liberty OR freedom - to search for articles that contain either term (broadens your search)

9. You can create more complex searches by using the words AND and OR in combination with parentheses. Example:

• "voter turnout" AND (election OR campaign) AND (income OR "economic status")

10. If don’t see a full-text link (HTML full text or PDF), try clicking on the

button to determine whether the article you need is available full-text in another database.  If it is, the Find-It service will direct you to the article.