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How to choose an index

Scenario One: Finding a popular article on a topic

Scenario Two: Finding many articles on a topic (AVERY)

Test yourself

Scenario One: Finding a popular article on a topic

TIP: Throughout this page you will be able to click on an index or other links to take you out of this web page. For this reason it is recommended that you either print this web page to follow along, or open a separate window dedicated to this web page (to do this minimize this browser window and double click on the IE or Netscape browser icon to open another browser)

SCENARIO: For this exercise, let’s search for articles on the Las Vegas Strip – The Strip in general, not a particular casino. Let’s stipulate that we just need one article to bring to class. Half the class is told to bring an article from a magazine in the field of architecture, landscape architecture or interior design, and half the class is told to bring an article from a popular magazine aimed at general readers. Do not bring a book review!

A. Steps for general interest magazine search      A1. Select an index      A2. Search the index (Academic Search Premier )

B. Steps for magazines in architecture studies search      B1. Select an index      B2. Search the index (Art Full Text)

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A. Strategy for general interest magazines

Step A1: Select an index

Which index would you start with? If you are in the class half looking for a general interest popular magazine, then Academic Search Elite. Why? Because it includes popular magazines and newspapers AND it is a full-text index/database, so the article itself is online and not just the citation. It would be very convenient to be able to just print off the full text of the article without having to find it on the library shelves!

Step A2: Search the index

How to:

Locate the index Academic Search Premier by going to the list of indexes on the architecture subject page: http://www.library.unlv.edu/subjects/architecture_electronic.php#gen

Go to: Academic Search Premier

Type “vegas and strip” in the Find box (you don’t need the quotation marks). NOTE, IMPORTANT: For this index, we must use the “and” for our keyword search. If we do not, it will search only for articles that have the two words next to each other (e.g. vegas strip) and we will get (in this case at least) only 25% the total number of possible hits.

Below the search box is a "Limit your results" box. You can also limit to journals that are peer reviewed and have bibliographical references & images. Click on the Full-Text box to get only articles that are full-text online.

Results:

The good news: there are 105 full-text articles (by the way, this number will not be the same when you search, since articles are added daily).  Note that at this point you can select whether you want academic journals, magazines or newspapers. Here is an example of what you will find:

The title of the article is “ MGM Mirage plans hotel-condo complex that would be Las Vegas ... ”

The title of the magazine (in this case newspaper) is USA Today .

Some articles are available in PDF (text plus any images available). some in HTML Full Text.

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B. Strategy for Magazines/Journals in Architecture Studies

Step B1: Select an Index

For the half of the class needing a magazine in the field of architecture, landscape, or interiors, Academic Search Premier is not the best choice. Since we are looking for just one article the Avery Index is perhaps overkill (it is very comprehensive), although there is certainly nothing wrong with using it. Nonetheless, our next best choice is Art Full Text:

1. the journals covered in Art Full Text are more likely to be found in the UNLV Libraries,
2. we may be able to find an article full-text online if we use Art Full Text [only about 25% of the magazines/journals covered by Art Full Text from 1997 to the present have the full text of articles online]

Step B2: Search the index (Art Full Text)

How to:

Locate Art Full Text index by going to http://www.library.unlv.edu/subjects/architecture_electronic.php#arch

Click on Art Full Text

Click on the Art Full Text box on the next screen to choose Art Full Text.

Click on the Start button.

Type the same keywords (vegas and strip) into the search box, and INCLUDE THE "AND" (for the same reason as given above: if we don't include the "and" the results will include only article with the phrase "vegas strip" in them).

Click the Search Now button (or press the enter key).

Results:

38 articles [the number will probably not be the same for you when you do this exercise since the index adds more article citations regularly].

Mark the articles that look good

How to:

Mark (click in) the box by the side of the record number for any title you are interested in. Many of these 38 articles are about events on the strip or art on the strip. If we are looking for architecture, we will NOT mark these articles. Sometimes it is hard to tell what the article is about from the article title. If that is the case, click on the article title, and a fuller record will appear, often with an abstract that describes what the article is about. Click on the back button to get back to the list of hits that you are "marking."

A PDF version will include any images that were available in the print version. "Full Text" will just be text.

When you have finished marking, click on the Get Marked button at the bottom of the list.

Get Text

Now you have several options. If the article is online click on the version you want to read (PDF or "Full Text"). Try each version to see which you prefer. Both versions have the citation information with the article.

If the article you really want is not available online, click the "Find full text" icon and pursue the options offered.

 

Quiz: you should now be able to answer questions 1-7 on the quiz.

Go to test for scenario 1 (Word format). To be printed and submitted to your instructor

 

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