Getting Started With Research - INTD 19901.01 How Do You Win a Food Fight? - Kercher

General Background Information

Often, it is helpful to consult a general source when you are beginning your research so that you can learn more about it and narrow your search terms. The Hiram College Library offers databases that search a variety of sources as well as databases that are subject specific (Nursing, History, Science, etc.). Below are some general-purpose databases to help you get started.

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary database that indexes and abstracts some 9,300 periodicals, both popular and scholarly. Provides full-text to more than 5,300 journals.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Fully searchable full-text of nearly 1,000 scholarly journals. JSTOR provides back files to the first issue of a journal, but stops 3 to 5 years before the current publication year. Covers all disciplines.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
Covers current and controversial social issues from immigration to gun control to fracking. Viewpoint essays present different sides to an issue and the database adds periodical articles, statistics, video/audio, news articles, and primary sources.
Oxford Research Encyclopedias This link opens in a new window
Articles written, peer-reviewed and edited by scholars covering 25 subjects. Articles, which are being added and updated on a regular basis, help break down broad subjects like International Studies or Neuroscience.

Visit the A-Z list of databases for a complete list of all of Hiram College Library's database subscriptions listed alphabetically by name. Note that the name of the database might not match the subject. For example, CINAHL is a database about nursing, but it does not have nursing in its title. The search box at the top of the page allows you to search for subjects to narrow down your list of database choices.

Hiram College Library Local Catalog

Search for books using Hiram College Library catalog.

Hiram College Library Local Catalog

Advanced Search

Keywords vs Subject Terms

Subject headings describe the content of each item in a database. Use these headings to find relevant items on the same topic. Searching by subject headings (a.k.a. descriptors) is the most precise way to search article databases.

It is not easy to guess which subject headings are used in a given database. For example, the phone book's Yellow Pages use subject headings. If you look for "Movie Theatres" you will find nothing, as they are listed under the subject heading "Theatres - Movies."

Keyword searching is how you typically search web search engines. Think of important words or phrases and type them in to get results.

Here are some key points about each type of search:

Keywords	vs.	Subjects
natural language words describing your topic - good to start with		pre-defined "controlled vocabulary" words used to describe the content of each item (book, journal article) in a database
more flexible to search by - can combine together in many ways		less flexible to search by - need to know the exact controlled vocabulary term
database looks for keywords anywhere in the record - not necessarily connected together		database looks for subjects only in the subject heading or descriptor field, where the most relevant words appear
may yield too many or too few results		if too many results - also uses subheadings to focus on one aspect of the broader subject
may yield many irrelevant results		results usually very relevant to the topic

When you search a database and do not get the results you expect, Ask Us for advice.