Want fewer results in OneSearch? Try this:

1. After running a search, look for "Also search within the full text of the articles" in the "Current Search" box to the left of the results (shown below)
2. Turn "Also search within the full text of the articles" off by clicking on the "X"
3. This should reduce the number of results significantly!

How it works:

The number of fields or words the database tries to match with your search terms becomes smaller and only includes fields in each item record (Title, publication name, authors, abstract, subject terms...) rather than the entire full text of each source.

The 2 minute video below reviews how abstracts can be used in your research and how to find them in OneSearch. This video has captions included.

Please ignore the video capture tool bar in the corner.

SLCC Librarian Keith Slade guides you through some of the library's resources* in this 8 minute video, including:

• OneSearch (main search on library website)
• ProQuest Newsstand
• Statista
• Interlibrary Loan

                NOTE: Opposing Viewpoints database is no longer available.  SIRS and CQ Researcher are each similar to it.

Sometimes you need to specify how you'd like a database to search your terms. The handout below describes in more detail four different advanced searching techniques you might want to try:

• Subject Terms- Limit your searches by focusing on the content of the article rather than the terms used by the authors. Pre-defined list of terms unique to each database. In OneSearch, use "Advanced Search" and limit to "SU Subject Terms."
• Phrase Searching- Keep words together in a specific order by adding quotation marks around them, i.e. "social media," "climate change," "mental health," etc.
• Wildcard / Truncation- Use the asterisk * at the end of a root word to search other variations of that word, i.e. child* searches child, children, childhood, etc.
• Boolean Operators- Use AND, OR, NOT to focus your search.
  • AND - limits the search by requiring all terms to be present
  • OR - expands the search by looking for either term
  • NOT - eliminates one term entirely from the search, including overlap with other terms you want

Watch the video below to see these strategies in action in the library's OneSearch, or use the handouts to get more detailed steps and practice these tools.

Please contact a librarian if you have any questions or would like advice on crafting a search for your topic!