Database Skills (ProQuest Dissertations and Theses)

Open https://www.lib.ecu.edu/databases/go/381 in another browser window to work through this tutorial side by side.

Getting Started

Welcome to the Database Skills Tutorial.

 

This tutorial will teach you about searching the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.

 

This "Guide on the Side" tutorial allows you to continue to use the library websites while also following along with the tutorial.

 

Note: If you are off campus, you may be asked for your Pirate ID and passphrase to log in to the database.

 

The tutorial will take approximately 15 minutes.

Navigation

Before we begin, please take note of the following navigation buttons that you will see in the Guide on the Side panel:

 

Your TurnYour Turn: This button represents an opportunity to use the database during the tutorial, so follow the directions!

 

Ask UsAsk Us: Click this to be connected with a librarian via IM when the Research Desk is open.

 

Let's get started!

 

Sample Topic

For the purposes of this tutorial, we will be using a sample topic. Let's say you are starting to think about your thesis or dissertation and your professor asked you to look for what other graduate students have written.

Let's say you would like to write about the topic of the Queen Anne's Revenge shipwreck and piracy. Your topic will differ, but we will use this to search throughout this tutorial.

 

 

 

 

Ask Us

Defining Databases

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You can find articles, as well as dissertations and theses, by searching in a database. A database is a searchable collection of information. Examples of everyday databases include iTunes and IMDB. A library database contains scholarly journal articles, newspapers, magazine articles, trade journals, and sometimes book chapters.

The database we are searching in this tutorial is called ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. It will have only dissertations and theses from colleges and universities.

Defining Databases

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Recall that our sample topic is Queen Anne's Revenge shipwreck and piracy and that one step we must complete is to develop keywords.

Your TurnYour Turn! Consider your topic carefully and come up with some keywords to search in the database. Click the link below to see the keywords that you will use for this topic.

 

Concept Check

Defining Databases

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Your TurnYour Turn! Remember these search terms as your keywords. You may wish to write them down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ask Us

Boolean Operators: AND, OR, and NOT

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The Boolean Operators AND, OR, and NOT can be used to narrow or widen a search. Here is how they work:

Use AND to narrow a search strategy and to look for two or more terms in your result.

Use OR to broaden a search and to find either or both concepts in the result.

Use NOT before a term to exclude it from your result.

Your TurnYour Turn! Take your keywords from the last step and make them in to phrases using one or more Boolean operators. Check your answer below.

 

Concept Check

Boolean Operators: AND, OR, and NOT

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Your TurnYour Turn! Place these search terms in to the search box and click search to see the results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ask Us

Limiters

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You should have some results on your screen. But how do you make sure they are current and relate to your thesis or dissertation? Notice that on the right side of the screen, you will see links for the following:

  • Full Text
  • Subject
  • University/Institution
  • Publication Date

Your TurnYour Turn! Click on the Subject link. Make note of some of the subjects here, since they might be additional search terms, or you can limit to your particular field of study. Next, click the drop down to look in the University/Institution. Click on East Carolina University. Notice the results list getting shorter. Next, change the date range to the last 10 years. Click "update." Notice that the results list gets shorter again.

Limiters

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A Note about Full Text

The Full Text option allows you to see only the items with the whole article attached to the record. Many times, if you click the purple Find It! button, you will see that ECU Libraries do, in fact, have the full text in another database. If we do not have a paper listed, we can normally get it for you via Interlibrary Loan.

Find It

 

 

 

 

Ask Us

Limiters

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The next page will show your results list of theses and dissertations about Queen Anne's Revenge written in the last 10 years. To learn more about an article, click on the title, or on the Preview button at the end of the title. The resulting record you will see has a short summary called the abstract. Read this short summary to decide if you would like to read the entire thesis or dissertation.

 

Your TurnYour Turn! Click on the Preview button for a few of the results in the list to see their abstracts. Which would you consider reading for more information?

 

Emailing your Results

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Next, notice the check box. If you would like to read more of a thesis, you can add it to a list. This check box list is temporary, so we will learn how to send the papers in the next chapter. If you find yourself doing a lot of research in this database, you can also set up a My Research account to save items in a folder.

 

Your TurnYour Turn! Add a few theses or dissertations to the list by clicking on the check boxes.

 

 

 

 

Ask Us

Emailing your Results

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In order to access the papers in your list at a later time or to show them to your advisor, you will need to email them to yourself.

 

Your TurnYour Turn! Scroll to the top of the screen and notice that on the right is the option to Email.

 

Once you have accessed the Email option, you can do the following:

  • Enter your own name and email address
  • Enter a subject and comments in a message
  • Change the citation format to the format required, if necessary
  • Click Continue to send!

Emailing your Results

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You should now have some items for topic development about Queen Anne's Revenge that have been sent to your inbox. The papers you emailed will be attached to the email if they were PDFs, or there will be a link back to the database. You will have the citation, as well, but make sure to check them over before copying and pasting them in to a bibliography. Start over again with your own topic to see what is available.

Back HomeNext Steps: If you wish to complete this tutorial again with your own topic, you may start over by clicking Back Home.

 

 

Ask Us

Certificate

Please enter your name and email address to retrieve a copy of your completed quiz.

You can enter multiple email addresses separated by commas. If you are doing this for a class, you may need to enter your instructor's email address also.