Getting Started with Library Research: An Overview of the Process

Watch this video from WHMS Library to understand the difference between library databases and search engines.

Natural Language Searching

You can search most library databases using natural language like you would in an internet search. For example, if you wanted information about college athletes making money from their image, you might do a natural language search like college athletes get football endorsements in a search engine. 

Not all databases work with natural language. Some databases require Boolean-style searching using the AND, OR, and NOT operators. Review the information below to learn how each operator affects your search results. And get in touch with a librarian if you have questions!

Boolean-Style Searching

Use AND between terms to narrow your search

A search for football AND college AND endorsements will get you search results (articles and other documents or pages) that have ALL THREE TERMS. These results will most likely be about college football players who are allowed to make money through endorsements.

Use OR between related terms to broaden your search

A search for College OR university or Endorsements OR Sponsorships will get you search results that have AT LEAST ONE OF THESE TERMS. In these two examples, using both terms with an OR will help you cast a wider net, broadening your results to include more.

Tip: Keep the related terms inside parenthesis or in their own search box for best results

Use NOT to exclude something from your search

A search for football NOT soccer will EXCLUDE A TERM from your search. In this example, the results will most likely be about American-style football only and not European football or soccer around the globe.

Put it all together in a database search

This screen capture shows a complex Boolean search that can also be shown as a phrase search uses the logical Boolean search operators, AND, OR, and NOT: (College OR university) AND (endorsement* OR sponsorship*) AND football NOT soccer NOT rugby [the last bit can also be NOT (Soccer OR rugby)].

Tips

• Using Google? A space is recognized as if it were an AND so no need to type it. Some databases do this too, but not all. Use AND when in doubt
• OR can be used between opposites too: athletes AND (amateur OR professional)
• Avoid using NOT unless you really need to declutter your results. In Google, use a dash: jaguars -cars
• Add an * (wildcard symbol) on the end of a word to search multiple variations: comput* searches for computer, computers, computing... etc.
• You can always reach a librarian for help using our 24 x 7 chat or by scheduling a consultation using the link below:

What are characteristics of scholarly sources?

In general, scholarly sources:

• Are written by an author with an advanced degree, i.e., a college professor
• Are written for an academic audience
• Contain a credible list of citations/references
• Include in-text citations
• Often contain an abstract, literature review, methodology, results, or discussion
• May or may not be "Peer Reviewed"

How can I tell if a source is scholarly?

• Articles published in scholarly journals which cover academic and scientific research. Scholarly journals are often referred to as "peer-reviewed" or "refereed" journals. Journals can also be scholarly or academic, but not have the extra level of quality control known as "peer review."

• Books are not "peer-reviewed," like articles. Instead, they are written by academic scholars, and edited and published (most often) by academic or university presses, e.g.: Routledge, IGI Global, or Oregon State University Press.

• A book review can also indicate if the book is scholarly. Use LibrarySearch to find reviews of books.

• When in doubt, ask a librarian!

​​​​What does it mean when scholarly journals are peer-reviewed?

• Some academic or scholarly journals go through an extra process called "Peer Review" before they are published. These are considered the highest quality of academic journal sources because other scholars in the same field as the author (the author's "peers") review their work.
• To check, you can look up the journal in our database called Ulrichsweb (link below). Look for the referee jersey icon to indicate that a journal (and the articles in it) is peer-reviewed.

How do I search for and find scholarly sources?

Articles in LibrarySearch 

Search in LibrarySearch* or library databases for articles and limit results by "academic sources" or "peer-reviewed sources." 

*LibrarySearch includes search results from many of the UO Libraries database subscriptions.

Articles in a Database

Databases often have a "Scholarly" or "Peer Review" filter option too. Here's an example from one of our EBSCO databases: 

Books

Search in LibrarySearch by title or keyword. Many of our books are "scholarly," but look for the name of the publisher to find an academic press, e.g., "Princeton University Press."