Keywords are the words you use to search for information on your topic. When you use a search engine like Google, you might search with a question or use everyday language. When you search a library databases, you should use more specific keywords called Subject Terms. Watch our video about keywords and how they can help your research.
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Document with video transcript: ENG 152 Keywords video transcript.pdf
Now that we've looked at keywords and learned how to get them from our research question, let's see how we can use them to search a database to find scholarly sources. In the first video, we'll look at how library databases are different from a search engine like Google. Then we'll look at the types of databases you can find through the MCC library and how they can help your research. We'll also share some search strategies to make your research a little easier. In the second video, we'll search live in Academic Search Complete, one of MCC library's article databases.
To turn on closed captioning, click the CC icon at the bottom of the video.
Documents with video transcripts:
ENG 152: Database Searching video transcript
ENG 152: Using Academic Search Complete video transcript
1. From the library website, click on Academic Sources, then A to Z Databases.
2. From the alphabetical list of databases, select Academic Search Complete. (You may be asked to enter your myMCC username and password if you're accessing the database from off campus.)
3. Enter your keywords in the search boxes. Click the Search button.
4. Use the full text and peer reviewed limiters to filter your results. You can also specify a date range.
5. Find an article you like!
