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Arab-American Heritage: Databases & Journals

Databases

Search Tips

When searching in these databases or FoxHunt, 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.

Contact

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(845) 575-3106

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