Skip to Main Content
Return to Library Homepage

FYS101: The New Italians: Second-Generation African Italians from Jollof to #BLMItaly: Search for Sources

Fox Hunt

Fox Hunt LogoFox Hunt

 

Search the Library databases and the catalog

What is FoxHunt?

FoxHunt is a unified search tool which can be used to search through many of the library’s resources all in one search box. You can think of it like our library’s google, searching through databases of books, ebooks, newspaper articles, scholarly research articles, reference materials, videos, images and more all in one search.

Fox Hunt Help

Save search results to your temporary favorites list in Fox Hunt.

  • Organize and save your chosen results by adding them to your list
  • Email yourself the contents of your list with full text links.
  • Be careful as the list will be deleted when you leave your web browser.

screen shot of where to find saved favorites in Fox Hunt in upper right hand corner and where to click on results to save items

Search Subject Databases

Search Tips

When searching in these databases or Fox Hunt, keep the following in mind:

  • It is unlikely that you will find sources that match every element in your research topic.  Do not get discouraged by this!
    • Remember there may not be a "correct" answer for your research question
    • You are looking for evidence that supports your stance on the topic
    • Your goal is to use what has been done before to introduce a new angle or take on the topic, not repeat what has been done before
  • Sources can be used for different parts of your project, they do not need to apply to all aspects of it.
  • Do not search using your research question, thesis, or a sentence about your topic (aka natural language searching)
  • Instead, pull out the most important words and concepts
    • This is known as keyword searching
    • Use "and" to keep keywords together
    • Use "or" to find your keywords and synonyms
  • Search Multiple Times: If your first search does not yield anything, try again!  Sometimes adding or taking out a search term changes things dramatically.
    • Look for synonyms for your search terms
    • Use quotation marks around phrases (two or more words) and remove them if they are not helping
    • Search broadly as well as specifically
  • Search Multiple Places: Try searching in different places, some databases are better for some topics than others.
  • Be Flexible!: There may be sources that address similar themes that are not exactly about your topic but can be related. Ex: different social media platforms have similar user issues and effects on users.