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University of Southern Maine
Libraries & Learning

* Nursing: Find Articles

A general guide to research and resources for students in the Nursing program

Searching Tips and Tricks

  • Most databases allow for searching with Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT).
    • Use AND to focus your search and combine different aspects of your topic
    • Use OR to broaden your search and find sources that use different words for the same concept.
    • Use NOT to omit certain terms from your results.
  • Use an asterisk (*) to truncate words if you want to search for all words with that root. For example, “environment*” would search for environment, environmental, environmentalism, etc.
  • Put quotes around a phrase that you want the database to search as a phrase, rather than as individual words.
  • Group synonyms inside parentheses using OR between each one

Example:

Most databases, as well as LibrarySearch and MaineCat, assign subjects to books and articles. A subject is a designated word or phrase that describes an idea or concept and groups all articles or books about that concept together.

  • Subjects are also variously called descriptors, controlled vocabulary, headings, or index terms.
  • To search by subject you have to know the exact subject term. Most databases that use subjects have a Thesaurus that you can use to look up subject terms. You can also do a keyword search, find a book or article that is relevant to your research, and look at the subject terms assigned to it.
  • LibrarySearch and MaineCat use Library of Congress Subject Headings and each database has their own list of subject headings, so you have to look up subjects in each database independently.

There are many ways you can get research materials from other libraries. In the vast majority of cases, there is no charge to you for this service!

  • From a database:
    • Select the item you want and find and click the  or "Article Linker" button (the placement on the page will vary by database).
    • If the library does not have access to the item, find and click the "Submit an Interlibrary Loan Request" link under Step 3 in the right panel.

Accessing eResources Off-Campus

Interlibrary Loan

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Need Help?

Contact ILL Staff:

  • Portland: 207.228.8449
  • Gorham: 207.780.5343
  • LAC: 207.753.6540

Why use library databases?

 We recommend that you start your research with library databases for several reasons:

1) They are consistent in describing publications; you don't have to worry about finding a citation that's missing a volume or page number.

2) They are clear about what they do - you know the time period covered, the journal titles included, etc.

3) They usually have clear links - via the Article Linker button - to the online full text that USM Libraries has purchased.

4) Contrary to what a lot of people think, there is a lot of information that isn't on the open web.  And some of that information IS in our subscription databases.

Online Indexes and Databases