Search by topic
Start your search by entering one concept from your topic into the search box. For example, if you wanted to research "What makes first-generation college students successful?" enter first generation college students into the search box then click the search icon.
On the results page, enter the other concepts from your topic. Remember, when searching Library databases enter one idea per search box then add synonyms to the same search box separated by or.
You can limit your search to full text, peer review, and publication date using the menu options on the left.
Advanced Search
If you want to set up your search at one time, click the Advanced Search link underneath the search box on the Library homepage. This will bring you to the main search page where you can enter your keywords and limit your search to full text, peer review, and date.
Identifying databases in your results
There may be times when you want to identify what database an item was retrieved from. To do this, look at the end of the publication information listed underneath each search result.
Note: You may see an "index" listed as the database for some of your results; indexes are not databases. Common indexes you might see include the Complimentary Index, Social Sciences Index, and Supplemental Index. In these cases, you can often find the name of the database the article was retrieved from by opening up the article or looking at the database record.
Database discovery
On the results page, you can also see a list of all the databases your results were retrieved from. To see the list, open the Databases drop-down menu on the left side of the results page. Use the small arrow to display the list and use the Show More link to see the full list.
Search by author
To see what is in the Library collection written by a specific author, enter the author's name into the search box then click the search icon. For example, try searching for the author Albert Bandura.
On the results page, use the Select a Field (optional) drop-down menu to the right of the search box and select AU Author.
Search tip! Don't forget to use the menu options on the left to limit your search. Experiment with using full text, peer review, and the publication date limiter and see what different results you get.
Search by article or video
To search for a specific article or video, enter the title into the search box then click the search icon. For example, try searching for the article title Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning.
On the results page, use the Select a Field (optional) drop-down menu to the right of the search box and select TI Title.
Search by journal or book
To search for a specific journal or book, enter the journal title into the search box then click the search icon. For example, try searching for the Journal of Educational Psychology.
On the results page, use the Select a Field (optional) drop-down menu to the right of the search box and select SO Journal Title/Source.
Search tip! To see the publication dates of the journal that are available in the Walden Library, click the journal title highlighted at the top of the results page.
