The databases on this page are good places to start searching for articles related to your course topic. If you need help selecting a database, brainstorming topics and search terms, or tracking down articles, connect with a librarian.
A good place to start research on most any subject. This multi-disciplinary database indexes nearly 8,050 publications and provides full text for nearly 4,600, including more than 3,900 peer-reviewed journals. Access is provided by eLibraryMN (ELM).
This search engine points toward scholarly research rather than all Web-based sources. It is stronger in the sciences than in the humanities, with social sciences somewhere in between. One interesting feature of Google Scholar is that in includes a link to sources that cite a particular item. Not all of the articles in Google Scholar are free; the library can obtain many of them for you through Interlibrary loan.
JSTOR is a digital library of journals, academic eBooks, images, and primary sources. JSTOR provides book and journal content from the date of initial publication up to a "moving wall" of 3 to 5 years before the present year.
PhilPapers is an index of philosophy books and articles. It also offers an open access archive and discussion forums.
Citations and abstracts to articles from more than 1300 international journals in psychology and related fields, going back to 1840. Covers all areas of psychology, including experimental, developmental, communications, social processes and issues, personality, physical and psychological disorders, professional issues, applied psychology, educational psychology, and behavioral literature in such related fields as law, business and medicine. Also includes citations for books and chapters.
Looking for articles on a specific topic? Visit our Research Guides for subject-specific databases.
Open Academic Search Premier and conduct a search for the following: college students AND wellbeing
Skim through your search results. Note some of the specific topics you see in your results list.
Find an article that looks interesting then click the title to view the full article record
From the full article record, note the keywords under "Subject Terms" and "Author-Supplied Keywords"
From the full article record, skim the abstract (if one is available)
How would you access the full text of the article?
Do you think the article you've selected is a credible source? Do you think it's a scholarly source? How do you know?
Once you've identified an interesting article, look to see if the full text is there. If not, follow these steps:
If an article is not available in full text or in print, request it through interlibrary loan, using your Gustavus account login to identify yourself. This generally means it will be scanned in for you at another library. An e-mail message will be sent to you with a URL and pin number to retrieve it. Though these scanned articles are sometimes are available within 24 hours, they can take longer. Plan ahead.
Sometimes you come across a footnote with an article that looks interesting. You don't need to turn to a database to find it. Check the title of the magazine or journal (not the article title) from the journal locator. If it is not available to us at Gustavus, log in to your library account and fill out an interlibrary loan request.
As you can see, tracking down the hard copies of materials can be tricky! Need help? Contact a librarian!
Screenshot 1: A search in Academic Search Premier:
Screenshot 2: The citation for an article from the results of a search in Academic Search Premier:
Screenshot 3: The "subject terms" assigned to an article on creativity and well-being among college students. Search tip: Use subject terms to help identify alternative search terms
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
