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Finding Articles Using Academic Search Premier Database

What is Academic Search Premier?  Academic Search Premier is an article database used to quickly find articles and citations on almost any subject. The articles are from popular magazines, professional journals, and scholarly journals.  Not all of these are equally useful.  The database states where a specific article appears: the periodical title, the year and issue, and page numbers.  This is important information since it allows the user to locate and cite a particular issue.  Many of the articles also include a link to the full-text online.  Full-text online can be printed, mailed or saved on a disk.  Cameron University (CU) Library subscribes to this database; therefore, the articles cannot be found for free on the Internet.  The user must go through CU Library's homepage. This is the first step.

To Access Academic Search Premier on-campus:    Go to the Cameron University Library Homepage Click on Citation and Full-Text Databases - On Campus Choose Academic Search Premier To Access Academic Search Premier off-campus:  Go to the Cameron University Library Homepage Click on Citation and Full-Text Databases - Off Campus Choose Academic Search Premier For username, enter first initial of your first name, first initial of  last name, last 6 digits of student ID number For password enter first initial of your first name, first initial of last name, last 5 digits of Social Security Number

To Use Academic Search Premier:  Type a word or words that describe your topic into the Find box and then click on Search. In a standard search you can use a Boolean operator (AND, OR, NOT) to limit or expand your search. Combining keywords with Boolean "AND" pulls two concepts together like two overlapping circles and limits or "shrinks" the search.  Example: parenting and punishment. Combining keywords with "OR" expands the search.  Example: punishment or spanking Combining keywords with "NOT" excludes terms so that the result does not contain the term that follows NOT. For example: parenting NOT reviews excludes book and movie reviews. To limit or refine the search further click on Refine Search: Select full-text articles (complete articles online). Select scholarly peer reviewed articles. Select by date. Select by publication (journal or magazine name).

To display and retrieve articles fromthe result list:  Each result is numbered and the available formats for the articles are displayed: HTML Full Text, PDF Full Text (article opens in the Adobe Acrobat Reader), and Linked Full Text. Click on article title to view citation and abstract or one of the full-text icons to view full text. Click on buttons to print, e-mail or save from each individual article    To collect several results save the article or citation to the folder  You can then print, e-mail or save many results at the same time.

To link to CU Library Catalog:  If full-text icon is not displayed, the article is not online.  A link "Search the catalog at Cameron University Library" is displayed. Clicking this link takes you to CU Library Online Catalog screen From this screen you can search for the title of the journal.  CU Library will not own all journal titles.

Tips for searching Academic Search Premier:  In keyword searching do not use "stop" words such as: in , for, the, or. Read the abstract to evaluate the article you've found.  All your searches will not produce accurate results.  Searching by keywords may produce false hits because the search engine is simply matching your keywords to the words found in the full-text. If full-text of an article is not available online, check CU Library Catalog to see if CU Library subscribes to the periodical you need. Academic Search Premier will not contain all magazines and journal articles written on a topic.

To Use the Advanced Search Screen:  The Advanced Search Screen (located on the tabbed toolbar) offers multiple text boxes which allows more flexible and focused searching.  Enter the term(s) you wish to search in the text box labeled find. Use the drop-down menu list to the right of the text box to select a searchable field.  For example, to select an article written by World War II historian Stephen Ambrose, select AU and type: Ambrose, Stephen. Click on search. Enter additional search terms in the optional text boxes. Connect multiple search terms with Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to create a very broad or narrow search. Use the drop menu to the left of each optional text box to select the Boolean operator that will connect the terms. Select from Search Options to narrow search. Click the search button to begin searching.

To Use Wildcard (?) and Truncation (*)  Wildcard is represented by a question mark (?).  Enter the desired search terms and replace each unknown character with a "?".  For example: wom?n. Truncation is represented by an asterisk (*).  Enter the root of a search term and replace the ending with an "*". All forms of that word will be found.  For example: comput* will find the words computer, computerize or computing.