Getting Started
Welcome to the Database Tutorial Series.
This tutorial will teach you about using the SciFinder Scholar database.
This "Guide on the Side" tutorial allows you to continue to use the library websites while also following along with the tutorial.
The tutorial will take approximately 10 minutes. Click the right arrow at the bottom of this pane to proceed.
Navigation
Before we begin, please take note of the following navigation buttons that you will see in the Guide on the Side panel:
Your Turn: This button represents an opportunity to use the database during the tutorial, so please follow the directions.
Ask Us: Click this to be connected with a librarian via IM when the Research Desk is open.
Let's get started!
You will need to log in to SciFinder Scholar with your Pirate ID and passphrase followed by your SciFinder Scholar account information.
If you haven't used SciFinder Scholar before, click on the link Register Here. You can then setup your SciFinder Scholar account.
Once your create your SciFinder Account, you can use the Already Registered link to access the database.
Sample Topic
For the purposes of this tutorial, we will be using the following sample topic:
What are the effects of penicillin on milk production in dairy cows?
Let's say the paper requirements say that you need at least 4 scholarly sources.
You can find scholarly sources in a database, but what is that?
You can find articles by searching in a database. A database is a searchable collection of information. Examples of everyday databases include your iTunes library and IMDB, the Internet Movie Database. 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 SciFinder Scholar. This is a subject-specific database, which means it is limited to one field of study: Chemistry.
Recall that our sample topic is: What are the effects of penicillin on milk production in dairy cows?
Most databases require you to use Keywords to find articles on your topic. However, SciFinder Scholar is unique! The database figures out your main concepts for you.
You can write your topic in the form of a sentence. Our sample example might look like this:
The effects of penicillin on milk production in dairy cows
Your Turn! Type your topic in to the search box and start searching for articles.
Next, you will be asked to build your reference list based on how closely your concepts are matched to each other within an article.
Here is some sample text that you will see:
8 references were found containing all of the concepts "penicillin", "milk production" and "dairy cows" closely associated with one another.
Select the reference options that work best for your topic. You can pick as many reference lists that you want.
Note: The more reference lists you select, the broader your results will be.
Select the first two reference options and select "Get References"
You should have some results on your screen. The two ways to review your results is by using the Analyze or Refine options on the left side.
Analyze allows you to identify trends within your results. For example, analyzing by Journal Name will show you that the majority of references come from the Journal of Dairy Science.
Using the Refine option, you can narrow your results by author, document type, publication year, language, or additional research topics.
Your Turn! Refine your search to articles by select Journal under Document Type. Notice the results list getting shorter. Next, change the publication year to the last 5 years. Notice that the results list gets shorter again.
You should be looking at a list of journal articles about the effects of penicillin on milk production in dairy cows written in the last 5 years. To learn more about an article, click on the article title to see the abstract.
Your Turn! Hover over a few of the titles in the list to see their abstracts. Which would you consider using for your paper?
A Note about Full Text
The Full Text option found in artice records should allow you to see the full text of the article. However, there can be issues connecting to full text from SciFinder Scholar. If the full text is unavailable, you can use the E-Journal/E-Book Portal or OneSearch.
To use OneSearch, copy the article title and paste it into OneSearch. If the article doesn't come up, try the E-Journal/E-book Portal.
To use the E-Journal/E-Book Portal, copy the journal title and search for it within the portal. If we have the e-journal, you should see it listed. You can click on the databases listed under the title and look for your article within the journal.
If we do not have an article, we can normally get it for you via Interlibrary Loan. This free service can be used to borrow an article or book from another library that does have it.
Next, notice a button that says Save. If you would like to save an article for use in your research, you can add it to your saved results. You can name the collection of articles and you will be able to access it at a later time under Saved Searches.
Your Turn! Add 4 articles your saved results by clicking on Save in the right corner of your results.
You should now have 4 items for your paper on the effects of penicillin on milk production in dairy cows.
Next Steps: If you wish to complete this tutorial again with your own topic, you may start over by clicking Back Home.
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.