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What Past Students Learned
- Limit your search sessions to 30-60 minutes at a time
Searching for more than 30 minutes at a time can easily lead to frustration, especially when “just a few more clicks” can turn into hours of unsuccessful effort.
- Tip: Get a timer and set it for 30 minutes of searching in one sitting.
- Avoid searching multiple databases simultaneously
Even though we have the Cochrane Collection and CINAHL on the same platform, terms for the same concept frequently vary between the two databases and searching them together will unintentionally limit your search.
- Tip: If you select Choose Databases to switch from one index to another, first deselect box adjacent to the title that you’ve been searching to turn it off.
- Know the limitations of the Evidenced-Based Practice check off option in Cinahl
- Selecting the Evidence-Based Practice limiter within the Refine Search option retrieves only articles from a pre-selected list of journals published from 2001+.
- Don’t limit searches to “Full Text”
By selecting this limit you will:
- Exclude many other excellent records that can be requested in 24 hours from Interlibrary Loan.
- Save your searches
It’s always a good idea to save your searches for later use. Even saving failed searches will help you remember what didn’t work.
- To retrieve full text from E-mailed articles follow these instructions:
- Copy and Paste this URL into your Internet browser window http://www.library.umaine.edu/auth/EZProxy/test/authej.asp?url= If you are unable to access the item from a persistent link and If it does not appear at the beginning of your link.
- Copy the persistent link URL from your email Ebsco record. Note that an item that is not available in full-text will not suddenly be available if you use the persistent link. You will have copied the record. Access the item via Interlibrary Loan.
- Paste this at the end of the URL you have already pasted into the browser.
- The end result will look like two complete URLs connected by an equal sign. For example: http://www.library.umaine.edu/auth/EZProxy/test/authej.asp?url= http://search.epnet.com/loginaspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=16793723
- Remember that some full text articles are not available off campus
There are three types of full text articles:
- Those provided by the Ebsco database and labeled HTML or PDF
- Those labeled Linked Full Text may represent two scenarios:
- 1) Articles at the publisher's website that may not be accessible off campus.
- 2) Articles that link to another Ebsco database that are available off campus.
- Tip: If you are uncertain of obtaining an article from home, print or save it while you are on campus.
