Searching EBSCOhost
A guide to searching and
retrieving information
from the EBSCOhost
Databases
What is EBSCOhost?
EBSCOhost is a powerful online reference
system accessible via the Internet. The
NWOSU library subscribes to many databases
through EBSCO. You can search these
databases to find journal, magazine, and
newspaper articles. The goal of this tutorial is
to demonstrate how you can use EBSCOhost
to find the materials you need.
Access EBSCOhost
The EBSCO Portal
Choose Your Database
Basic Keyword Search
Basic Results
This toolbar lets you
narrow your search
even more
You can sort the
results by date,
author, or relevance.
Refine Your Search
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Refine Your Search
Boolean
Operators
separate or
combine
search terms.
.
Subject Search
Type your keyword or phrase , choose “Subject Terms”
from the dropdown menu and click “search.”
EBSCO provides more specific subject terms
for you to choose from when bringing up the
results of your search.
Narrow
Clicking a
subject link will
take you to a
new list of
results
pertaining to
that
subject.
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Results
by
Subject
Limiting
You can use
as many or
as few
limiters as
needed to
narrow and
refine your
search.
Limiters Defined
Full text asks EBSCO to limit your results to those records that appear full
text on the internet and can be read on the computer and printed for
further use.
EBSCO allows you to limit the results within a certain time frame. You can
also pick a publication to look for specific results.
You can also have EBSCO tell you if the record might be
available in a paper copy from one of the NWOSU libraries.
Use the
scroll bars
to see more
options in
these
areas.
NOTE: This option
limits the results to
ONLY those records
that might be
available from one of
the campus library
collections.
Citation View
The links in citation view jump
to a list of articles by the same
author…
…or other articles under the same
subject terms.
The abstract
summarizes the
article.
Item Availability in the Library
The citation information for the article should
appear right beneath the title. Otherwise, use
the citation view as discussed before to get the
information you need.
Source Information
Go to the library homepage and
use the NWOSU Online Catalog
to find out if the issue of the
journal you need is available in
the library.
Journal Titles in the Library Catalog
Access the catalog
from the library
homepage and
search for the title
of a journal listed
in EBSCO.
Journal Title Keyword Search
The
information in
the catalog will
tell you what
issues are on
the shelf and
what library
they are
available from.
Library Catalog Information
Journals are shelved
alphabetically by title in
the reference or anex
section of the library.
Some titles and holdings are not listed in the catalog, so check the shelves if the
catalog does not give you enough information. If you cannot find the journal or
newspaper title in the catalog or on the shelves, ask the reference assistant for
help.
Title Search in EBSCO
Journal Name Search in
EBSCO
Results of a Journal Name Search
When you do a Journal
Name Search, all of your
results will be from the
journal you named as a
source.
Saving Searches to a
Folder
You can add a
record to a
folder by clicking
the available
icon from the
search screen.
Adding a Record to Your Folder
You can also
add a record to
a folder by
clicking the link
available in the
citation view.
Creating a “My EBSCOhost” folder
The main folder
link on the results
page will take you
to the temporary
folder you have
created by adding
items.
Click the link for “My EBSCOhost” to
save your search results and create a
permanent folder.
My EBSCOhost New User Information
Click the “new account”
link on the My EBSCOhost
login screen.
Requesting an Article in EBSCO through
Interlibrary Loan
Click the
ILL link
available
with many
listings.
Information for Interlibrary Loan
.
Just fill out your personal
contact information and
click “submit” at the
bottom of the screen. A
librarian will contact you
about your item.
Tips and Pointers
When beginning your research, acquire as much basic
information as possible about your topic before
attempting to search EBSCO for supporting materials.
Books in the library, dictionaries, and encyclopedias are a
good way to familiarize yourself with the topic you are
studying.
If you are having
problems or there is
something you don’t
understand, please
ask any of the
NWOSU library staff.
Read the descriptions of the
EBSCO databases – some of the
databases are for specialized
areas of study (such as health or
education) and may be helpful
to your research (or hinder it if
you are searching in the wrong
database).
Do not attempt to input your entire topic
phrase into the EBSCO search. If your
topic is something like “depression and
Don’t spread your
teen pregnancy,” inserting that phrase
search out over too
into EBSCO may not bring up the results
many databases.
you were hoping for. Break the topic
Stay with about two –
down and do subject searches for
three at the most.
keywords (such as depression or
adolescence). This will allow you to look
through a broader range of EBSCO results
and narrow your search by linking to
other headings.
Restricting your search to find only full
text articles may cause you to miss some
relevant items that are available from
one of the NWOSU libraries.
Before you interlibrary loan an article,
make sure you check the library catalog
for local holdings. NWOSU Libraries may
have a physical copy of the article.
A Few More
The End