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SLP4670 Clinical Observation and Methods: Locating Articles

Search Tip: Keywords

It is usually a good idea to start out broadly, so using just one or two of your topic terms is a good way to begin. Once you have a set of results, you can begin narrowing down your results by entering one or more terms. Searching in a specific field such as "Subject" or "Title" will narrow or focus your results. 

Search Tip: Truncation

Truncation Finds Multiple Word Forms

The asterisk (*) is usually used to search words with the same root:

 Person* =  Personal, Personality, Personable,  etc.

Wildcard symbols (usually a ‘?’) replace a single letter:

Wom?n = Woman, Women

Search Tip: Use the Thesaurus

Many databases feature a subject specific thesaurus of subject terms that relate to content on those databases. The thesaurus allows you to browse for subject terms you can use to search the database. Subject terms are assigned based on article content, allowing you to create a targeted search.

Search Tip: Use the References

Once you locate a few good articles on your topic, be sure to review the references to other articles that are cited. This is a great way to locate related research articles on your topic. Many databases also provide a link to these articles if they are available electronically. If you don't find a link, be sure to check the Library's Journals A-Z List to see if it's available, If not, you can always use our awesome Interlibrary Loan Service. 

Locating Articles

Using Library Databases to Find Articles:  Search in databases to locate journal articles on a topic relevant to Speech Language Pathology. Listed below are some of the most important databases. You can also access them by clicking on Databases --> and select "Speech Language Pathology"  from the drop down. All are accessible from off-campus.

Take a Closer Look

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