Learn to Find, Access, and Manage Information

Ask a Librarian

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Find an article on your topic

Three of the most commonly used tools are:

  1. QuickSearch for Articles

    1. Click the "Articles" tab on the Library Website
    2. Choose a subject from the pull-down menu under QuickSearch for Articles that pertains to your topic. You can also select General/Multidisciplinary if you're not sure where to start.
    3. Enter your search terms and click Search.
      Note: The search may take up to 45 seconds to complete.
    4. Review the results and revise your search as needed.
    5. To access the full-text of the article, click on Find It.

  2. Article Databases

    3. If you know the database you wish to search:

    1. Click on the "Database" tab on the Library Website.
      1. Type the name of the database you'd like to search in, in the text box and press "Search"
        OR
        Choose a database by going through the alphabetical list and clicking the first letter of the databases' name.
    2. Click on the name of the database.
    3. While searching, to access the full-text of an article, click Find It

    If you don’t know the database you wish to search:

    1. Click the "Databases" tab on the Library Website.
    2. Select "By Subject" to browse databases grouped by subject categories.
      OR
    3. Click "Introductory" to see a list of introductory databases to search.
      OR
    4. Click "Top 10" to see a list of the most popular databases searched.
    5. Select the database you'd like to search.
    6. While searching, to access the full text of an article, click Find It.

  3. Google Scholar

    1. Go to scholar.google.com
    2. If you are using a non-library computer do the following:
    3. Click on Scholar Preferences (next to the search box).
      1. Type Wisconsin in the Library Links box and click Find Library.
      2. Select University of Wisconsin – Madison.
      3. Click on Save Preferences (bottom of page).
      4. Enter your search terms and click Search.
    4. Review the results and revise your search as needed.
    5. To access full-text of the article, click on FindIt

See Also:

<< Return to research steps

Subject
Any one of the topics or themes of a work.
General Resources
Resources that cover non-specialized topics.
Database
A collection of records that can be searched by computer. In libraries, it usually means online indexes of journal articles. (Bates College)
E-Resource Gateway
One of the UW-Madison’s online resources via which you can search article databases.
Find It
By clicking the Find It button, you can find out whether the full text of your article is available online or physically available in a library.

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