How to Search ProQuest Databases

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Summary

This video tutorial provides an introduction to ProQuest Central, a research database containing millions of articles. It covers how to access the database, tips for effective searching, filtering results for full text or peer-reviewed content, refining searches with Boolean operators, and understanding the different resource types and available actions for articles, including citation retrieval.

Highlights

Accessing ProQuest Central
00:00:00

Learn how to access ProQuest Central through the Durham Tech Library homepage by clicking Research Databases and then ProQuest Central. Be aware that off-campus access requires your Durham Tech WebAdvisor ID and password.

Initial Search Settings: Full Text and Peer Reviewed
00:00:33

Upon entering the database, the 'Full text' checkbox is selected by default, ensuring all results are available in full. You can also check the 'peer reviewed' box to limit results to academic, peer-reviewed journals, which is often required for assignments.

Conducting a Basic Search and Using Exact Phrases
00:00:57

Enter your search terms. As you type, suggested terms may appear. To search for an exact phrase, enclose your terms in double quotes, such as "body image", which will narrow down your search results significantly.

Refining Searches with Boolean Operators (AND)
00:01:33

Further refine your search by using the 'AND' operator to combine multiple search terms. For example, adding 'bulimia AND suicide AND intervention' will continuously decrease the number of results, focusing your search more precisely.

Filtering Results by Source Type and Publication Date
00:01:57

ProQuest offers tools to narrow results, such as limiting to 'scholarly journals' under source type or adjusting the 'publication date' slider to view only recent articles by clicking 'update'.

Understanding Search Results and Article Features
00:02:18

Each search result has an icon indicating its resource type (e.g., scholarly article). Clicking on an article title reveals its full text, abstract, publication info, and referenced sources. If a PDF is available, you can download, email, or retrieve citation information.

Retrieving and Verifying Citations
00:02:52

ProQuest can provide citations in formats like MLA, APA, or ASA. However, it's crucial to verify these citations for accuracy in punctuation, capitalization, and author names, using them as a rough draft rather than an absolute final version.

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