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Science - Physics - Year 12 - Scientific Literature Review: Effectively Searching Academic Articles

A selection of resources to support Year 12 Physics Topic: Depth Study (Literature Review)

Effective Search Techniques

Effective Search Techniques

There are a few key techniques to employ when searching research databases for academic articles on specific topics.

The resources below demonstrate different ways to search for scientific articles in the College's subscribed research databases - specifically Science Reference Center (which is an EBSCO interface), and JSTOR. Basic search techniques can also be used when searching articles in the Directory of Open Journals (DOAJ). 

Go to Science Reference Center or JSTOR by clicking on their images below.
All subscribed research databases are located on the College website, under 'Research Databases'.

Research Database

SRC sample search

There are a few ways to search keywords in Science Reference Center.

As an example, below are some sample searches for the topic 'alternative energy' using Science Reference Center:

There are multiple ways to search for content discussing alternative energy; simply typing “alternative energy” in the basic search field will provide many records that can be further limited using the 'Refine your results' options at the left of the results page.

However, there are many other ways to search for content; below are some options.

If you are looking for content on alternative energy using the Science Reference Center interface you could also:

  1. Click on the Physical Sciences category under Browse by Category.
  2. Click on Energy.
  3. Click on Alternative Sources, or if you are specifically looking for solar & geothermal energy you could click on Solar & Geothermal.

Your results will include a wide range of source types, and subject matter all relating to alternative energy.

If you are looking for content on alternative energy on either EBSCOhost or the Science Reference Center interface, you could:

  1. Type energy and (alternative or solar or geothermal) into the basic search field.
  2. Click Search.

Or you could:

  1. Click on Advanced Search.
  2. Select the Benchmark “Physical Sciences – Energy – Alternative Sources” or “Physical Sciences – Energy – Solar & Geothermal” or click both by holding down the CTRL key.
  3. Click Search.

Research Database

JSTOR

JSTOR - 
Academic Articles: Effective Searching Tips and Tricks

The following short video demonstrates some basic features of JSTOR database.

JSTOR - Subject

JSTOR database has a great 'Browse by Subject' option, enabling you to narrow your scope when searching for academic articles.

1. To find academic physics articles, go to JSTOR (click on image on right hand side of this guide).

2. Under the 'Browse' tab, click on 'by subject' :

 

3. Scroll down to 'Science & Mathematics', then choose 'Physics' :

 

4. All keyword searches will now be narrowed to all within the Physics subject: