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Research Guides

EN290: Introduction to College Reading and Writing: Find Sources

Search Discovery

This is the same search box as on the library homepage. It's a great starting point to find different types of sources in various subject areas. 


 
Limit to: audio

General Search Tips

These search tips work in our library databases and Library Catalog:

  • Combine keywords using AND and OR.
    • Use AND for searching different ideas within your topic. E.g. race AND voting rights
    • Use OR for searching with closely related terms or synonyms of your keywords. E.g. (race OR African American) AND (voting rights OR voter suppression)
  • Abbreviate words with multiple endings using an asterisk (*). E.g. vot* to search vote, votes, voter, voters, and voting
  • Search specific phrases using quotation marks. E.g. "Voting Rights Act" , "Civil Rights Movement"
  • Change your search terms around to get different results.

Refining Your Search

Whether or not you found some good results in your first search, it can always be worth it to search again--by changing around your keywords or searching in a different database.

  • If you didn't get many results the first time, try broadening your search by using fewer or less specific keywords.
  • If you got too many results the first time, try narrowing your search by using more or more specific keywords.
  • Try using new keywords from relevant results you did find.
  • Try searching in a different database. Our different databases have different sources in them, so you might find different or more relevant sources in a different database.
  • Ask a librarian if you're not happy with what you're finding. We're here to help!

Ask a Librarian!

Contact the Reference Desk

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