For this week's discussion, you will learn how to search for and locate a quantitative article involving t-Tests that relates to your discipline by:

• choosing an appropriate subject database
• conducting a search with relevant keywords
• identifying a quantitative research article that uses t-Tests

Start your search by entering a database that fits your subject area with these steps:

1. On the Library Homepage, click the Research by Subject drop-down.
 

2. Click on the subject area that matches your program of study from the list.

3. Once you have clicked on a subject, scroll down until you see the list of databases and click on the title to enter the database.

Note: The databases are organized with the largest collections at the top of the list, so selecting the first database is generally a good way to start.

Once you are in a database, you will see a search screen with multiple search boxes. We need to set up our search:

• We will use the keyword t-Test to find articles that use that methodology.
• You may also want to search with keywords that describe a topic related to your discipline. You do not have to type in a topic, but if you do, keep the topic broad.

We will build an example search below for articles that use a t-Test with the topic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the database called SocINDEX with Full Text:

1. In the first search box, type:

"t-Test"

Note: The quote marks "glue" this together as an exact word with the hyphen so the database will search for this just as we have typed it.

2. For this example topic, type in the second box:

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Note: Some methodologies are rarely used for certain research topics. You may need to broaden your search topic to find a study that uses this methodology.

The search boxes will look like this:

3. Click Search.

4. Look in the article titles and abstracts to determine if the methods used in the article include t-Tests. You can also look in the Subjects listed for an article:

Refer back to the Evaluate your results box for Week 1 for more help.

Note: Articles may use more than one method in their quantitative analysis of data. You can use an article even if it uses other methods along with t-Tests. For instance, an article my use ANOVA and t-Test to analyze data.

Try it and test yourself:

Use our database SAGE Research Methods to find information about quantitative methodologies, including t-Tests:

Here are the steps to search inside SAGE Research Methods Online for more information on t-Tests:

1. On the Library Homepage click on the Databases A-Z link.

2. Click on S, scroll down, and then click on Sage Research Methods Online.

3. On the Sage Research Methods Online homepage, type the method into the search box:

t-test

4. Click the magnifying glass icon to Search.

You will now see your results with a definition of the t-Test method above the results list. It will look like this:

• This resource from our search gives an overview of the method:

Shapiro, J. (2008). T-test. In P. J. Lavrakas (Ed.), Encyclopedia of survey research methods (pp. 912-912). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd. doi: 10.4135/9781412963947.n594