Zoology

1. Choose a database to search.

2. If available, go straight to the Advanced Search function in the database you are using. This allows for more relevant and precise searching.

3. If available, use a Subject search term instead of a keyword. This will give you results about your topic instead of results that merely mention your search term.

• Start with a broad/general subject search term.
• If you have too many results, add another search term and/or use limiters (Date, Publication Type, etc.).
• If you have too few or no results, try other search terms or use a keyword search and look for subject terms within those results that can be used in a new subject search.

4. Read abstracts and subject terms associated with the article to determine whether it will be relevant to your research.

5. If you have any trouble accessing the full-text version of an article, contact the library for assistance.

Phone: (940) 898-3701.  Email: reference@mail.twu.edu

What is a database?

Databases house articles from journals and magazines and make them searchable. No single databases contains ALL journals or articles, so it is best to search multiple databases.

What is a journal?

The term journal is often used for publications that contain academic articles. Journals can be issued once per year, twice per year, four times per year, or even weekly. Each issue of the journal contains new articles. These issues are later combined to create volumes.

What is a scholarly or peer-reviewed article?

Most magazine and newspaper articles go through an editor before being published. This editor checks for grammar, spelling, and the entertainment value of the article. Magazine and newspaper articles are typically not peer-reviewed. Scholarly or peer-reviewed articles go through a different process before being accepted for publishing. Before a peer-reviewed article can be accepted for publishing, it must be reviewed by experts in the same field as the article. For example, if the article is about the social behavior of puppies, the article will be reviewed by experts in the field of animal behavior. The purpose of this peer review is to ensure that the articles published in a journal have strong methods and represent thorough research.

Tip: Some databases allow you to limit your search to only Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed articles.