|
|
What
is FirstSearch:
FirstSearch
is an index to books, videos, journal & magazine articles,
sound recordings, musical scores, maps, dissertations, conference
proceedings, etc. FirstSearch provides access to over 50
databases covering arts & humanities, science & medicine,
business, law, social & behavioral science, education, public
affairs, engineering & technology, and current events.
It is updated monthly. Click here
for a description of FirstSearch Databases.
MJC
owns some of the items found on FirstSearch; others will need
to be acquired through Interlibrary loan.
Accessing
FirstSearch:
- Go
to MJC Library Home Page.
-
Click Article & Research Databases.
- Choose
FirstSearch.
-
You will need to contact a librarian at the Reference/Information
Desk to get the authorization and password. Please call a librarian
at (209) 575-6230.
- Click
Start or press Enter.
Searching:
- Type
your topic into the “Search for:” box.
- In
the "In:" box, use the pull-down menu to Select
a Topic or Database.
- Click
Search or press Enter.
Viewing
& Printing Results: (You
may also save your results to a disk)
- When
you find an item you want, click on it.
- Click
on Libraries that own item to see if MJC or others libraries
in the area own that journal or book.
- Click
on the Print icon to reformat the record for printing.
-
Choose File then Print
from the toolbar at the top of the screen.
Exiting:
- Click Exit on the Navigation
Menu on the left of the FirstSearch screen.
Search
Tips:
|
Plurals
|
Expand
a search to include plurals by adding a plus sign (+) after
the singular form of the word
Example:
soccer coach+
|
|
Limit
|
Perform
an Advanced Search to select appropriate limits (publication
years, language, etc.) before you begin searching to narrow
your results to more relevant items and to conserve searches.
|
|
And
|
Combine
search terms in a single search using AND
Example:
steroids and sports
|
|
Or
|
Expand
your search by combining up to three terms using OR. Items
retrieved will contain at least one of the terms
Example:
wife or spouse or partner
|
|
Not
|
Focus
your search by using Not to eliminate concepts
Example:
drugs not prescription
|
|
Word
Variations (Truncation)
|
Anytime
after the first three (3) letters of a word use *
to find a word and any of its variations
Example:
psychi* will find records containing psychiatric,
psychiatrist, psychiatry, and psychic
|
|
Browse
Index
|
Find
out the precise word or phrase to search and find out the
number of records in which words and phrases appear.
Access the Browse Index by performing an advanced search,
and clicking on the  icon.
(NOTE:
An index is a searchable file of terms used to point to
library resources).
|
|
Phrase
Searching
|
If
you are searching for an exact phrase, enclose it in quotation
marks.
Example: “wildlife
conservation”
|
Additional
Search Tips:
- If you are not sure which database
is best for your topic, click Suggest Best from the blue
toolbar. FirstSearch will suggest databases based upon your
search terms.
- View a list of all FirstSearch
databases by clicking on List All in the blue toolbar.
For more information on a particular database, click the
icon next to the database name.
- Use
the Related Subjects feature to select more
terms from a list of subjects related to your last search. The
list of related subjects is accessed from the Search Results
screen for a number of databases.
- Select
and save up to 20 records from the results list so
you can print, email, or view them in sequence.
- Troubleshoot
an unsuccessful search by checking for typing errors or misspellings.
- Use
FirstSearch online Help.
|
