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Hunter Library
Research Guides
Western Carolina University

Computer Information Systems 251: Chung

Choosing & Using Keywords

Search Strategies

Find & Save Articles

  1. Watch the video above.
  2. Go to the library's main page (library.wcu.edu) and locate the OneSearch box. 
  3. Use the keywords you generated to start your search.
  4. Use the limiters on the right-hand side of the results page to narrow your search as necessary.
  5. When you find an article that seems like a good fit for your research, click on the link to see the full text.
  6. Read the article's abstract. If it seems relevant, move to Step Seven. If it doesn't seem relevant, go back to Step Five and try again.
  7. You'll want to save relevant articles to refer to later. The menu of options differ with each database. Below is an example of the options you might see:

 

For this article, you can download and save a PDF, print the article, email it to yourself, or choose All Options to see more ways to save your work. You can also auto-generate a citation in a number of styles. Caution: Always double-check the citation before you use it. They are not guaranteed to be 100% correct every time.

Final Thoughts: Often when you open a link in an academic database, the content you see is session-specific. That means if you leave your browser tab open for too long, copy/paste the url from the search bar, or bookmark the page the article is on, you may lose it. If you want to ensure you'll be able to get back to the article later, always use the permanent link option (see below).