Q. How do I find articles on a particular topic?

How to access a database

The easiest way to get to the databases is to click the Databases & Articles tab of the search box on the Libraries homepage. Use the Browse by Database Subject drop-down menu to see only databases for a particular subject, e.g. Art, Health Sciences, Business, etc.

Once you've narrowed the list of databases by broad subject, read the descriptions to find a database that suits your needs. Each database is slightly different in what subjects they cover and what types of resources they provide access to. So if you're looking for articles, make sure to choose a database that mentions "articles," "journals," or "periodicals" in the description. Finally, click the database title to open it.

How to search a database

Typically you want to use just a few keywords when searching. For example, if you're writing a paper about how lack of sleep causes college students to get poor grades, you might want to search:

sleep   grades   college students

If you can't find anything with your original keywords, try using fewer words or related words, for example:

sleep   performance   undergraduates   |   sleep   college students

But if you get too many results, try adding more words, or more specific words, for example:

sleep   grades   college freshmen   |   REM sleep   grades    brain function   undergraduates  

Most databases also allow you to "filter" your results by choosing to see only articles written in a particular language or in a particular date range. Use filters to help narrow down your results to only the ones most helpful to you.

If you can't find anything at all, try a different database! Each database looks at a different set of articles, so you'll get different results in each one.

Need more help?

If you're still stuck, ask a librarian for more help!

Most subjects

In person: Reference desk on the main floor of the library

Phone: 860.768.4142

Email: library@hartford.libanswers.com

Music, dance, and theatre

In person: Service desk near the entrance of Allen Library

Phone: 860.768.4491 (front desk) or 860.768.4404 (Tracey Rudnick)

Email: rudnick@hartford.edu (Tracey Rudnick)