If you have problems logging into library databases, see:
Put it all together:
Here are database-friendly searches, with unnecessary words removed:
Instead of: "What are the causes of test anxiety?"
Use this: "test anxiety" AND cause
Instead of: "What's the effect of the pandemic on mental health of college students?"
Use this: COVID-19 AND "mental health" AND "college students"
Instead of: "Does using social media increase anxiety among teenagers?"
Use this: "social media" AND anxiety AND teen*
Database searching summary:
If you're new to searching specific databases, these tutorials may help:
These reference databases offer overviews and summaries of issues..
ProQuest Central will search millions of articles from newspaper, magazines and scholarly journals. It's a great database to fill in specific gaps in your research.
How do you know a "Scholarly Article" (also referred to as academic articles or peer-reviewed articles) when you come across one?
Articles in different fields may differ slightly (a scholarly article comparing two works of literature will lack data, graphs, and discussions of methodology, while a paper on the study of a new medication SHOULD have all of those things).
Here are a link to a search and an example of a peer-reviewed (scholarly) article:
These databases cover a wide range of world events and topics:
These e-books can all be found by searching their titles in the library's catalog and following the link to access full-text. Thousands more titles are available through our catalog and other e-book databases:
Stuck on finding those last few sources? Consider using a video database. They provide MLA citations.
Watch archived news programs, documentaries, educational series, and more that can be used as a paper reference!
Mouse over these databases for descriptions.
The English Division at SUNY Adirondack sponsors several programs that bring writers from all genres and forms to campus to share their work with us. These visits are almost always recorded by SUNY Adirondack's IT department, and posted to the SUNY Adirondack Youtube page for you to watch any time!
What programs will I find on the Youtube page?:
- The Writer's Project : Published writers across every genre come to read selections of their work, talk about their process, and answer audience questions
- 100,000 Poets for Change: Professional and amateur poets gather to share their work and garner hope, courage, community, and support for important causes and challenges in our society, such as the climate crisis.
- The College Lecture Series: Faculty and staff of SUNY Adirondack give 45-60 minute presentations to give the college community updates on their personal research projects.
Alternate search engines for searching the free web.