Spanish and Portuguese Language & Literature

Finding information requires a lot of skills that you may not be aware that you have or that you are developing. Use this page to learn strategies for HOW to find the most relevant information to meet your needs.

Use the sub-pages to learn WHERE to search for research on your topic or course theme.

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

(Click to Enlarge)

Thanks to IUPUI University Library for allowing reuse of this graphic under a Creative Commons license.

Below are 4 top strategies to narrow your search:

1. Use AND between keywords to find articles where two or more keywords appear together

2. Use the filters / limiters in the search interface to narrow your search results to a specific date range or resource type (format: book, journal article, news article, etc.)

3. Add a Subject Term (found in a database's Index or Thesaurus) to your search to find results that are "tagged" with that term to indicate they are "about" that topic/idea. Tip: Use just 1 or 2 Subject Terms per search so you don't get too narrow too quickly and end up with too few results.

After adding a Subject Term to your search, click "Search" and then combine with additional keywords using AND. Note where the Subject Term shows up in your results:

4. Choose a database that is limited to your major, subject, or discipline. Use the link below to find a research guide with database recommendations for your discipline!

Submit an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request if you need something that isn't available in the UO Libraries collection and we will try to get it for you.

Pause to Reflect

Did you find the information you needed? Will it help you answer your research question? If not, it might be time to reach out to a Subject Librarian for an appointment.

As researchers, we should approach the evidence we find with an open mind. Research should broaden or inform our perspectives, and not confirm our own biases. If your research is just a collection of cherry-picked quotes, you may need to go back to the library catalog (LibrarySearch) or the article databases to gather more information and other perspectives to consider. 

"kirschenpflücken 2006-06" by Brigitte Rieser is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0