ITT 487: Operations Senior Seminar: Home

Below are just a few of our databases useful for technology research. For more databases with technology content, check out our Databases A-Z page and select "Technology" from the drop-down.

• 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:

Other helpful tips:

• If you find a book that is relevant to your needs, look at the "Subject" area of the book's record. Click on a few of the subjects to find other similar books.
• In many of the book records, you can look at the table of contents - click the link under the "Inside This Book" heading. This can help you determine if a book is right for your research.
• If USM doesn't have a book you want, you may request it.

Most databases, as well as catalogs 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.
• College catalogs 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.