What is Expanded Academic ASAP Getting Started Introduction to Searching Conducting Your Search Refining Your Search Viewing & Printing Citing Help

What is Expanded Academic ASAP:

Expanded Academic ASAP (formally known as InfoTrac) is an online database containing millions of documents on almost every subject. These documents include abstracts, citations, and full-text articles from magazines, journals, newspapers, and reference works from 1980 to the present.

Getting Started :

1. Go to MJC Library Home Page
2. Click Search Article & Research Databases
3. Click Expanded Academic ASAP
4. If you are using Expanded from home you will need to log in to the database using your MJC ID# (without the w) and your six-digit birthdate.

Introduction to Searching:

There are four types of searches you can conduct. You will find these at the top of the screen in the light blue Search Path Bar. These are:

Basic – Basic Search, which is the default search type at the MJC Library, offers a straightforward way to search featuring a single search box. You can enter one or multiple words to conduct a Subject, Keyword, or Entire Document search.

Subject Guide – Subject Guide Search allows you to search the database subject index so that you can browse a listing of subjects, people, products, locations and organizations that contain the word or words you entered. From this results listing (known as the Subject Guide), you can select a term and see a results list of citations, or navigate through the Subject Guide by selecting Subdivisions (a list of subtopics for the subject you searched) or Related subjects links.

Publication – Publication Search allows you to search for a single edition, volume, or issue of a particular publication and retrieve all its available documents.

Advanced – Advanced Search presents you with a form-based guide for building as simple or as complex a search as you want. You can search for terms (consisting of one or more words) from one index, or from multiple indexes linked by logical (Boolean) operators (AND, OR, NOT). This search is especially useful if you have a citation already and are searching for that specific full-text article.

Conducting Your Search:

1. Choose the type of search you wish to conduct. Remember Basic Search is the default search type.
2. Type your search terms in the Find box.
3. Choose any further Limits you desire (You may need to select More Search Options situated below the Find box to see a list of additional limit options.)

Refining Your Search:

1. If you are at the beginning of your search, you can refine it by choosing one or more options you find under More Search Options situated below the Find box.
2. If you have already conducted your search and are viewing a results list that shows you document titles, you can Expand/Limit your search by selecting that option at the top of your titles results list.
3. If you are viewing a document you can refine your search by clicking on related subjects that you find at the bottom of your document, or by clicking on subjects that you find to the left of your document in the yellow Subject Terms box.

Viewing & Printing Results:

1. Documents are sorted by Publication Date or Relevance in your results list. The default sort method at MJC is publication date so that you will see the most recently published documents first.
2. To view a document, simply click its underlined document title from your results list.
3. If you choose to work with more than one document at a time you may do so by clicking the box to the left of the document titles in your results list. When you put a check in those boxes you are creating a Marked Items List. To view and work with your Marked Items List you need to select the Marked Items List from the toolbar located just above the light blue Search Path bar.
4. When you are viewing a document, you may print it by selecting the Print Tool from the toolbar located just above the light blue Search Path bar.

Citing Your Full-text Documents:

1. From your results list you can click on How to Cite to see how to cite documents in either MLA or APA style.
2. If you are viewing a document you can click on Source Citation situated below the document title to view the document as cited in MLA style.
3. If you have created a Marked Items List, you can create citations for multiple documents in either MLA or APA style when you select How to Cite Marked Items from your Marked Items List.

Help:

1. The database provides a useful content-sensitive Help feature on the toolbar located just above the light blue Search Path bar. This means that when you click Help, a help topic will appear that relates to what you are doing at that time in the database.
2. Also, please ask a Librarian for help either in person or by calling 575-6230.