Having entered some search terms and limited the materials if necessary, it's time to go through the results. Remember, never just settle on the first page of results. If possible, look at five to ten pages. This will give a broader overview, and sometimes really interesting or important articles may not show up on the first page. After looking through the first five pages without finding anything relating to the topic, it's time to rethink the search terms. If that happens, feel free to see a librarian for help with the terms.
This section shows how to:
Being familiar with the results page in the database will help with locating the perfect article more efficiently.
The default view of the results page gives quite a bit of information about each article. At a glance, it tells:
In addition, there is an icon that gives more information when the mouse hovers over it.
It is possible to sort the results. They are automatically sorted by relevance, but when writing a paper where currency is important, consider sorting by date, or if the paper is supposed to have a specific type of source (like a newspaper), consider sorting by source.
There are two ways to access the article. The easiest is simply to click the blue link that is the title of the results entry. This will lead to the article's information page. The second way is to click the .PDF link at the bottom of the entry to go directly to the article, instead of the information page.
The information page has much of the same information listed in the entry, but will have it in a format that is a little easier to read. It will look similar to the following. All citation information can be found on this page.
If the article has HTML full-text, the HTML will come underneath the information.
HTML full text articles have one benefit: for those who need help with seeing the screen, there is an option to have the article read aloud.
Full text articles offer users a few ways to access articles at a later time. This can be important when doing research, because it can be very frustrating to have the perfect article and then forget the location. EBSCOhost interfaces allow users to download, print, and e-mail articles to themselves. Additionally, there is a built-in citation feature (which must be double checked for accuracy before use!). No matter what method is used to keep the article, always write down the citation information!
It is possible to download both PDF articles and audio files of HTML articles. To download the PDF file which saves it to the computer or a flash drive, look for the button on right hand side that looks like a floppy disk. In either case, name the article (it's a good idea to use the title and author's last name) and then save it to the desired location.
Once saved, the file can be opened at any time, so internet access is not necessary. It can also be transferred to a USB drive or e-mailed so that it can be accessed anywhere.
Another excellent option for preserving an article is to print it out. This can be done just like saving. There is a printer button on the right side. The print drop down opens on top of either the PDF or the information page and gives the option to print a citation or the publication information along with the article.
You can also e-mail a document and it will include citation information and the .PDF. This can be very useful when using article somewhere else. If at home, it is necessary to use the GALILEO password to use the links back to GALILEO. No need to use the password to access the PDF though.
The e-mail drop down asks for several fields of information: e-mail address (required), subject (optional but a good idea), comments (optional), PDF attachment and citation information (can be just the information, or the actual citation).
After entering the information and hitting send, there should be a confirmation pop up.
The e-mail will have the citation information, any comments typed in, and the attachment for the PDF if the box is checked. Another benefit of having an e-mailed article is that e-mails are dated and it is possible to see exactly what day the article was accessed for the first time, which is required in some citation formats.
A final option offered by GALILEO is to create a pre-made citation. It is offered in many formats and while this can be a good starting point, make sure to check the citation against a manual because auto-generated citations are often incorrect or outdated. The button for citations is on the right hand side as well and resembles a piece of paper.
The drop down that appears allows for scrolling. APA and Chicago/Turabian styles are at the top, while MLA is lower down (it's in alphabetical order). There is a warning to remind users that it is important to double check pre-made citations.
