McGovern Library: MUS 141: Music Appreciation : Find (Searching)

How-To Videos

Databases to Search

Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Premier is a great place to start your search for both popular and scholarly articles on almost any topic. Find academic and peer-reviewed journals, magazine and newspaper articles, trade publications, reviews, books, and more.
ProQuest Research Library This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Research Library is a great place to start your research, providing one-stop access to thousands of full-text periodicals, allowing you to search for both popular and scholarly articles. Find academic and peer-reviewed journals, magazine and newspaper articles, trade publications, reviews, and more.
Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
Films On Demand provides immediate access to streaming videos NOVA, TED, Cambridge Educational, NBC News, ABC News, PBS, BBC, Meridian, and others. Find films, movies, and videos including clips and segments.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR provides access to a wide variety of scholarly journals and monographs in the humanities, social sciences and sciences. Use JSTOR to find historical information rather than current articles. Find academic and scholarly articles and books.

Using Google for Research

Below are tips to help you more effectively and efficiently search the internet.

Tip #1
Search with the answer in mind, not the question.

When typing in a search query (question) into a search engine, rephrase your search to get the answer instead of other people asking the same question (and hoping the answer is in the comments). Working backwards with the answer in mind will help get you the information you are looking from - and find the answers from better sources.

Tip #2
Start broad and narrow it later.

It is always easier to narrow your search area than to spread it out, so it is fine to start your search by throwing a very wide net and focusing your search inwards as you go. If you are interested in basic information, Wikipedia and Google are great places to start to gather your base knowledge. These searches can help provide names, dates, and scope.

Tip #3
Gather the same information from multiple sources.

If you are finding the same facts and information in more than one place, that is wonderful. But make sure you use and cite all of your sources in your research, not just one. This will strengthen the information and show that you gathered and pulled information from more than one source, and that is a great thing.

Tip #4
The Golden Resource might not exist.

That perfect piece of information that ties everything together may not exist from a reputable source. If you are looking for an item that explains your topic from your bias, the perfect, singular resource may not exist at all. You will have to pull information from several sources and make your case without relying on only one source.