Access Article & Research Databases
Academic OneFile   WilsonWeb   LexisNexis
Music Databases
ALLDATA
Historical Index to The New York Times
PsychARTICLES
CountryWatch   CQ Researcher
ERIC
Glossary

1. Go to our Article & Research Databases page, located on the left side of our homepage.
2. Use the database descriptions to identify a database that best suites your needs.
3. From on-campus, simply click on the database name to gain access to the database:
   
4. Off-campus users will first be taken to our login page. Enter your student or employee number (without the W) to gain access to our databases:
   

Basic Search
1. A Basic Search in Academic OneFile works much like an Internet search. Simply type a word or phrase related to your topic in the search box.
2. The radio buttons below the search box allow you to select where the database will search for your terms. The default - Keyword - will search across the primarily fields in a document (title, author, subject, etc.), but NOT the entire document. Select 'Entire document' to search the full-text of each document.
   
3. The results list - explained below - will show items (articles, book reviews, abstracts, etc.) with your terms, listed by publication date.

Results List
1. Once you have performed a search you will get a list of results. (If you don't get a results list Academic OneFile will try suggesting other spellings of the term(s) you typed in. However, if your list is suspiciously short, try using different - or fewer - search terms. When in doubt, contact the Library.)
2. Note the tabs at the top of the results list. Each tab contains results in a particular format (e.g. Magazines, Multimedia, etc.).
   
3. Each item in your results list will include a brief citation (article title, publication title, author(s), etc.)
4. Below the citation will be links to Full-text or PDF pages, if the entire item is available from Academic OneFile. In some cases only abstracts or citations will be available.
5. Click on the 'Search Columbia College Library full-text holdings' link to see if we have full-text access to the desired item from a different provider.

Subject Guide Search
1. The Subject Guide search is one of the most useful features of Academic OneFile. You can access it by clicking the 'Subject Guide Search' link near the top of the page.
2. Enter a word related to your topic.
3. The results list will have subjects that include your word. Note the subdivisions link available for many subjects. Subdivisions help categorize a subject into manageable chunks.
   
4. Select a subject or subdivision to view results.
   

Managing Results
1. Once you have located items of interest you can mark, save (download), print or email them.
2. After you open an individual item you can print, save (download), or email it by clicking the appropriate icon on the right side of the screen. In this view you can mark an item by clicking the box beneath the tabs.
   
3. Marking an item is a good idea when you expect to find more than one item. From the results list simply check the box that corresponds to the item you want. Selected items will be automatically placed in your marked items folder.
   
4. Within your Marked Items folder you can easily print or email multiple items by clicking the appropriate icon.

5. To save (download) items from the Marked Items folder, simply click the download link on the right side of the page

Advanced Search
1. Wilson Web's Advanced Search screen has lots of initial options. To start, enter a word or phrase in one of the search boxes.
2. Create complex searches by adding additional words or phrases in different boxes and selecting the appropriate connectors (e.g. AND, OR & NOT).
   
3. Use the drop-down menus on the right to search specific fields, such as Author and Title. Note that 'All - Smart Search' automatically searches variations of your search terms, such as plurals.
4. Quickly limit your search to the last twelve months or to a range of years with the buttons below the search boxes.
5. Limit your search results to items in full-text or PDF format by checking the appropriate boxes. Beware that checking the full-text box will only return full-text (html) articles. It will not return articles if they are full-text in PDF format. Checking both boxes will only return items available in both formats!
6. Click one of the two 'Start' buttons once you have set up your search.

Subject Areas
1. The Subject Area menu in the advanced search screen allows you to limit your search to a subject-specific database. Selecting a subject area will help return more relevant results.
2. Simply click on a subject area to add it to your search. Hold down the Ctrl key to select multiple databases.
   
3. Click start to run your search.

Results Lists
1. Once you have run your search you will see a results list. (If you don't get a results list, or if your list is suspiciously short, try using different - or fewer - search terms. When in doubt, contact the Library.)
2. Each item in a results list includes basic citation information and links to full-text versions of the document, if they are available.
   
3. If the full-text of a document is not available, try clicking the 'Full-text Holdings' link to see if we have access to the article from a different publisher.
4. Marking items is an efficient way to keep track of relevant documents you find while searching. Simply check the box that corresponds to the item you want to mark. After you have marked at least item the 'Get Marked' button at the bottom of the screen will be activated. Click that button to view your marked items.
   
5. You can quickly print, save or email one or more items from a results list by selecting the 'Print Email Save' button on the left side of the screen. From within an individual item you can print, email or save it by clicking the appropriate icon.
   

Revising Your Search
1. Clicking the Revise Search button at the bottom of the screen will take you back to the Advanced Search screen. From here you can edit your search by date, subject area or full-text.
   
2. You must revise your search in order to change how your results are sorted. Results lists are automatically sorted by relevance, but there are lots of other sort criteria available, such as publication date, author name, etc.

Easy Search
1. LexisNexis' search box looks different than most others, but it works the same way. Start by typing a word or phrase into the box.
   
2. Below the search box you can select what areas of the database to search within. Click on the 'i' icon for a description and title list. Note that the default setting searches major domestic and international publications.
3. Next you can specify a date range to search. Keep in mind that it sometimes takes 24 to 48 hours for LexisNexis to index all titles, which means if you specify "Today" your results may not be complete.
4. Click the search button to run your search.

Power Search
1. The Power Search tab lets you combine search terms using Boolean operators (e.g. AND, OR, NOT). (If you prefer not to use these operators, click the Natural Language option.)
   
2. Select which source(s) to search from the drop-down menu.
3. Select a date range to search.
4. Click the search button to run your search.

News Search
1. Start by typing a word or phrase into the search box. To use Boolean operators, click the Terms and Connectors box. (Within this search the Terms and Connectors version will allow you to specify sections of an item to search, e.g. headline, byline, etc.)
   
2. Click the 'Show' link to see a list of terms you can add to your search. Available terms are divided into three categories: Industry, Subject and Region.
3. Select the sources you wish to search from the drop-down menu. Note that some sources (e.g. Major World Newspapers) will allow you to specify individual titles to search.
   
4. Select a date range to search.
5. Click the search button to run your search.

Managing Results Lists
1. Each item in a LexisNexis results list includes basic citation information, such as title, author and publication. For the vast majority of items, clicking the title will take you to the full-text version of the document.
   
2. On the left side of the screen you can refine your search by group. This feature is context dependent, which means your options will change depending on the type of search you conducted. Use the drop-down menu to determine how your results are grouped.
   
3. Above your results list are several options for managing your results. The View drop-down menu lets you decide how your results will be displayed. Options range from the default List view, to the complete Full Document view.
   
4. Beneath the View menu is the Sort menu. Publication Date sorts results chronologically, while Relevance attempts to guess which items are most relevant based on the terms you used and their placement in the document.
5. Narrow Search lets you search within your results for specific terms.
6. Edit Search will take you back your original search screen, where you can revise your search without re-entering everything.
7. Lastly, you can print, email, or save items, or export references to reference management tools. Simply check the boxes that correspond to the items you want and click the appropriate icon on the top-right of the screen.

Note: Our music databases - African American Song, American Song, Classical Music Library and Smithsonian Global Sound - all have a similar interface. An integrated interface is in the works, but for the time being, once you know how one interface works you will understand them all.

Browse
1. There are several ways to browse for music. Probably the most common method is by category (i.e. genre). Start browsing by selecting a genre on the left side of the screen.
   
2. You can then focus your search by selecting sub-categories in the available drop-down menus. Be sure to click the 'More...' link in if only a sampling of available sub-categories is visible.
   

Basic Search
1. Our music databases allow you to search for music in several ways, such as by artist, album or track title, recording label, genre and instrument. The basic search box on the top right of every screen is the quickest method of searching the database.
   
2. Type one or more terms into the search box and hit enter on the keyboard.
3. Note that the basic search searches across fields (title, artist, etc.) using a keyword search. In addition, terms are connected using a Boolean OR operator. Keyword searches and OR operators both return more (rather than less) items, meaning that your search may locate irrelevant music. Use the Advanced Search features discussed below to run a more precise search.

Advanced Search
1. Click the search tab to access advanced search features.
2. Separate your terms into different boxes and select the appropriate field to search from the drop-down menu. Keyword searches across fields and will return the most items.
   
3. Confirm that the 'Enable automatic spell checking' box is checked, which will help avoid unsuccessful searches.
4. Use the 'Search using' drop-down menu to select the desired Boolean operator.
5. Click the 'Submit Query' button to run your search.

Results Lists
1. Each item in a results list includes basic citation information (song and album title, the performers names, etc.), links to the song itself and lots of additional information.
   
2. To play a individual song, simply click the Play button on the right.
3. To the right of the play button is the Info icon. This link provides information about the track, album and performers.
4. The Add button allows you to add a particular track to a saved playlist.
5. View static URLs tells you what the persistent URL is for a given song. You can use this URL to return directly to this song in the future.
6. You can play a song's entire album by clicking the 'Play whole album' link.
7. The 'Liner notes' link provides access to PDF versions of available liner notes.
8. The 'Cover art' link displays a PDF of the album's cover. (Cover art is often included in the liner notes as well.)
9. Lastly, some songs in a results list may have a 'buy' link. Through the Columbia College Library you have FREE access to every song in our music databases. You do not have to pay any money to listen to songs. And because we have an unlimited license, you can listen as often as you like. With that said, because the songs are available as streamed MP3s, they cannot be downloaded and saved to your computer or MP3 player. This is where the 'buy' part comes in: for selected songs and albums you can purchase a copy of the music to download.

Playlists
1. Before you can start creating playlists you must register for a free account. This allows the database to remember your playlists for future use.
2. Register for an account by clicking the 'Register' link near the top of the homepage. Enter your email address, pick a password and select your country.
   
3. Click the 'Join' button to create your account. That's it!
4. Once you have created an account you can create multiple playlists. Whenever you select a song to be added to a playlist you will asked to choose which playlist to add the song to.
   

Select Vehicle
1. Select Vehicle provides access to vehicle specific information for cars and trucks. Click 'Select Vehicle' to get started.
   
2. Starting with Year, select the entries in the scrolling menu that pertain to the vehicle you want to look up. Note that you must select Year > Make > Model > Engine in that order.
   
3. Immediately after selecting an engine type you will be taken to the Vehicle Level screen, which provides access to lots of information specific to that vehicle. For example, you can look up maintenance guides and diagrams for all parts and components, technical service bulletins, recall information and labor estimates.
   

Maintenance
1. Maintenance information for specific vehicles is accessed via the Vehicle Level screen in in the Select Vehicle section. Click the 'Maintenance' link on the left side of the screen to get started.
2. Select the desired component category (e.g. 'Filters' or 'Wheels and Tires').
3. Select the desired component (e.g. 'Fuel Filter' or 'Oil Filter').
4. Information is divided into different categories, such as Service and Repair, Parts and Labor, and Specifications
• Links in the Service and Repair category will provide detailed instructions and diagrams to carry out the task.
• Parts and Labor links provide required skill level information and estimated labor requirements or standard billing times
• Specifications include items such as fluid capacity and settings
  
5. Note the breadcrumbs near the top of the screen. These helpful links provide easy navigation as you dig deep into the database. To return to a previous screen, simply click the appropriate breadcrumb.

Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs)
1. The TSB section includes recall information and customer interest items, along with a list of superseded bulletins. To get there, click on the Technical Service Bulletins on the left side of the Vehicle Level screen.
2. Recall notices are divided into two categories: Safety and General.
   
3. Each recall includes a description of the recall (which may include step-by-step procedures for remedying the problem), a copy of the letter sent to affected owners and a copy of the letter sent to auto repair shops. The 'Sized for Print' buttons leave a lot to be desired, so if you want to print you may decide to cut and paste the information into a word processing document (such as Microsoft Word) and then print that.

Basic Search
1. Start by entering a word or phrase into the search box.
   
2. Specify a date range to search. Remember, this database covers more than 150 years of publication. Without a specified date range the term 'war' would find articles written during the Civil War, WWII, Vietnam and Iraq.
3. Click the Search button to run your search.

Advanced Search
1. The Advanced Search screen allows you to combine search terms using Boolean operators. Separate your terms into different boxes and select the appropriate operator from the drop-down menu.
   
2. The drop-down menu on the right allows you to specify where the term(s) need to be located (e.g. citation and abstract, author, etc.).
3. As with the Basic Search, you can specify a date range to search.
4. Click the More Search Options link to reveal additional search features. The Document type drop-down many is particularly useful as it lets you select specific types of items to search. For example, options include Weather, Birth Notice and Editorial Cartoon. (Note: These options are different than those available in #2, above.)
   

Managing Results Lists
1. Each article in a results list includes basic citation information (article title, date, etc.) along with links to an abstract, page map and the full-text of the article. The page map is helpful for determining where small articles are located on the page.
   
2. Use the drop-down menu to sort chronologically (both oldest to newest and vice versa) and by relevance.
3. Results lists include a link to email full-text versions of multiple articles. The cite link provides formatted citations for numerous styles, including MLA. Note that at least one items has to be selected (by checking the corresponding box) for the icons to become available.
4. In addition, articles can be printed, emailed, saved and cited within the abstract and full-text screens - simply click the appropriate icon.

Quick Search
1. Start by typing a word or phrase related to you topic.
   
2. Notice that the Subject Area drop-down menu cannot be changed (there is only one option - Social Sciences - and that is the default setting). However the date range option can be changed to cover the last one-, five- or ten-years.
3. Click the search button to run your search.

Advanced Search
1. Enter words or phrases related to your topic in the boxes provided. PsychARTCLES adds Boolean operators for you. Therefore, to improve your search you should enter synonyms (e.g. adolescent, teenager, young adult) on different columns of the same row. Type any modifying words or phrases on different rows.
   
2. The Date Range drop-down menu lets you limit your search by year.
3. Five additional scrolling menus allow you to limit your search by language, population, age, methodology and supplemental data. In my experience, the language limiter is not terribly helpful. On the other hand, population, age and, particularly, methodology are all useful for honing in on relevant information.
   

Results Lists
1. PsychARTICLES has information rich results lists. In addition to standard citation information, each item in a results list has a partial abstract and a list of descriptions (subject headings).
   
2. Note the tabs at the top of the list categorizes results by format, such as Peer-Reviewed Journals and Conferences.
3. By default results lists are sorted chronologically, most recent item first. The sort method can be changed to relevance in the drop-down menu on the top right of the list.
4. Multiple items in a results list can be quickly printed, emailed or saved by checking the box corresponding to the desired article then the 'Save, Print, Email' link at the top of the list. Checked items are also added to your Marked Items folder, which is a good way to keep track of relevant items you find while searching.
   

Country Review
1. Country Review compiles lots of information about specific countries into one location, called a report. Each report includes current and historical information about the country, along with maps and news. You can access a country's report in two ways: by clicking the Country Review button on the left side of the screen or by selecting a country from the alphabetical drop-down menu under 'Shortcut to Country Review'.
   
2. On the left side of each report are navigation links to information grouped by category (e.g. Political, Environmental, etc.). These links remain available as you move through the report, so you can go directly from one area to another without having to back up. (Click 'Key Data' under 'Country Overview' to get back to a country's homepage.)
   
3. Use the 'PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION' or 'PRINT THIS PAGE' links at the bottom of each page to ensure the page is formatted properly for printing.
   

All CQEL Search
1. The opening search screen for CQ databases allows you to locate reports on both international and domestic topics. If you're new to CQ Researcher reports then first click on CQ Researcher Online to familiarize yourself with their unique format.

Components of a Report
1. From the CQ Researcher homepage click on a title of a report to view the entire report. Note that the report opens in a new window.
2. The table of contents for each report is on the left. Click on a heading to jump to a particular section of the report. Notable sections:
   • 'The Next Step' is an excellent resource for locating additional sources of information on your topic.
   • Pro/Con asks two experts with opposing views a given question related to the topic.
   • About the Author provides brief biographical information that explains why he or she is qualified to write a report on a given topic.
3. The box on the right labeled Issue Tracker provides links to other reports related to your topic.
4. Use the toolbar at the top of the report to email or save of copy, or to locate citation information. Simply select the selection of the report you would like to email from the drop-down menu and supply your email address.

Finding Reports
1. You can both search and browse for CQ Researcher reports. To search, enter a word or two for your topic in the Quick Search box.
2. Advanced Search features allow you to limit your search by date range and broad topic categories.
3. I find the Index is the best way for locating reports on a given topic. Select a letter of the alphabet and locate your topic in the alphabetical list. Broad categories are often organized by useful subcategories.
4. Issue Tracker and Browse by Topic both start with broad categories that you can drill down to focus on a given topic. These are useful if you haven't chosen a topic yet or if you're not sure what it might be called.

Global Researcher
1. This database focuses on international topics. The interface and reports are similar to regular CQ Researcher.
2. One notable difference is that instead of an Index there is a Browse by Country feature. First select a region of the world, the country you're interested in.

Basic Search
1. Conduct a basic search from the ERIC homepage by typing a word or phrase into the search box.
2. The 'Search In' drop-down menu lets you focus a search on the primary search fields, such as Author and Title. Use them if you know specific information about the item(s) you want to locate.
   
3. Click the Search button to run your search.

Advanced Search
1. ERIC'S advanced search screen allows users to conduct complex searches. Click on the 'Advanced Search' tab to get started.
2. Separate your terms into different boxes and select the appropriate Boolean operator from the drop-down menu.
   
3. Additional advanced search features allow you to limit your results to full-text or to specific publication types. You can also select a date range to search, back to 1966.
   
4. Click the Search button to run your search.

Managing Results Lists
1. ERIC has more detailed results lists than many other databases. In addition to standard citation information, each item includes a list of descriptors (i.e. subject headings), a statement about the publication type, a declaration of whether or not the item is peer-reviewed, and a partial abstract. A link will be provided if the full-text of an item is available through ERIC.
   
2. By default, ERIC's results lists are sorted by relevance. Use the options in the 'Sort By' line at the top of the list to sort results lists chronologically by publication date or alphabetically by title, author or source (i.e. the name of the journal).
   
3. To print, email or export citations, first click the add button icon, which adds the selected item to your clipboard.
   
4. Then click the '# items in My Clipboard' link at the top of the results list to view your selected items and print, email or export their citations. Note that to print the full-text of an article you first need to open the full-text document and then print it.
   

Modifying Results
1. After you conduct an initial search you will likely want revise it to improve what you found. There are several important ways you can modify your search to locate more relevant items. First, you can click the 'Back to Search' link to go back and change your initial search terms.
You may then want to:
• Found too much - add more terms, particularly qualifying terms related to your specific topic
• Didn't find enough - double-check spelling and then remove search terms and/or add synonyms to broaden your search
• Found the wrong things - re-think your search terms. What other terms might people use to describe your topic?
2. The 'Search Within Results' link is another good option if your initial search returned too many items. It lets you look for items already located in your initial, broader search.
   
3. After you click the 'Search Within Results' link your options for modifying your search will appear on the left side of the results list.
   
4. You can add another keyword, a range of publication dates, publication types or thesaurus descriptors. Click one of the Search buttons to re-run your search with your new limits. Note that the available publication types and thesaurus descriptors are context dependent.

Glossary

• AND will search for items that have both of your search terms (e.g. 'earthquake' AND 'California').
• OR will search for items with one or the other term (e.g. 'San Francisco' OR 'Bay Area').
• NOT will search for items that don't contain term (e.g. 'earthquake' NOT 'Japan'). DANGER: using a NOT operator may exclude relevant items from your search! For example, 'earthquake' NOT 'Japan' will not find items about earthquakes in California if they contain even just a passing reference to Japan!