Use the tips under the Search Strategy tab to develop a list of keywords to search. Do not type in whole sentences.
If you are off campus, you will need to log-in using your MyWCC username and password.
Each of these sources has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Newspapers: Written for general readers on a wide variety of topics.
Magazines: Also for current topics, written for general readers with no background in the subject.
Academic Journals: Longer research reports by specialists, written for other specialists. Can be quite technical. (Also called Scholarly / Peer Reviewed / Professional Journals)
WCC Library subscribes to a wide range of databases. You must be a current student, staff, or faculty member to use these databases. (See the Work Off-Campus tab above.) You may view a complete listing of the library's databases or click on the links on the left to search databases that are recommended for your Term Project.
Remember to apply the Search Strategies outlined under the Search Strategy tab. Do not type in whole sentences.
Enter your keywords in the search boxes. Before running your search, set your limiters using the limiter boxes below (use the dropdowns under this tab to see how to set your search parameters, view your results and save and send just the abstract or the entire article.)
Many databases can tell you about articles which could be helpful for your research, but they don't have the rights to reproduce.
You can limit your search to only give you results with full-text: look for a full-text box and check it off. You can also limit to full text after you've run your search.
If you find an article that is not available full-text, go to Find Periodicals (at the bottom of the main database page) to find out if it is available in another database. Be sure to note what year your article is from.
You can request any article (or book) that is not found in our library through interlibrary loan. Fill out the ILL form (under "How do I?" on the main library page). Keep in mind that it will take time to borrow the material from another library.
Use the database toolbar to print, email and save your articles. Do not use your browser toolbar. Use the EMAIL link to save articles for later. Do not copy and paste the URL from your browser to find articles again, it will time out after your search session closes.
You will need to cite your sources in your paper. Many databases provide citations, but they are not in the correct format. If your citation doesn't note it is MLA 7th ed, it may not be correct. See the Citing and Plagiarism page in this guide for information on formatting your source citations correctly.
