Library Guides: Research Survival Guide: Search

Search

Now, it is time to perform the search! The Library has a number of tools for you to use:

the Search Everything tool that allows you to search almost all of the library's collections at one time and
the A-Z Databases that allow you to search very specific sources such as ebooks, journals, market reports, and more.

Find out more below!

Enter your keywords into the Library’s Search Everything tool on the library homepage.

Refine Your Search

How many results are in your list?

Too many results?

If there are a lot of results, take a look at the Refine Your Results pane located on the left side of the results page:

If you would like to find only online materials, select the Available online checkbox under Availability or if only print/hardcopy materials, click Available in print
If you would like only peer-reviewed articles, click Peer-reviewed Journals
- NOTE: if your results do not contain online, in print or peer-reviewed journals, the above options will not appear
Refine by date
Refine by Resource Type – for example, if you would like to find only books, select Books or Ebooks
Or, add more keywords!

Click here to view the accessible version of this interactive content

NOTE: You can also exclude items. Move your cursor to the right of a limiter to exclude it and to the left to include it.

Include and Exclude checkboxes

Too few results

If you have too few results, your search may be too narrow. Here are some tips:

Remove search words as the more search words you have, the more narrow is your search
Remove any filters you may have applied such as date or Resource Type
If neither of these work, contact the Library for help!

Click the Databases A-Z button on the library homepage or from the top navigation menu on the Library website, choose Resources and then choose Databases A-Z from the dropdown menu

How to choose a database

You can filter the list of Databases by subject or type or you can use the list of letters from A-Z to choose a database by first letter of its title.

Click the Subject dropdown list to choose a subject. The subjects listed are aligned to the programs taught at Mohawk College.
Click the Types dropdown menu to choose a type such as Newspapers, Magazines or Images
If you know the Vendor of the database (for example, EBSCOhost or OVID), you may choose a vendor
Click the Search button once finished

Databases are also recommended in your Research Guide!

Review the DIY Guides to find out how to search the databases.

Database Searching Tips

Filter by Date
Filter by Peer reviewed

If it is important that you find current information, look for the filters by date and adjust to find recent information.

Examples

In EBSCOhost databases, look for the Publication Date filters under Filters:

Date filter in EBSCOhost

In Proquest databases, look for Publication Date on the left side bar of the Results Page (after completing a search) or type pd() and insert a date range inside the parentheses with your search terms in the search box. Example: student success pd(2018-2020)

Proquest date filter

If your professor has asked that you find peer-reviewed sources, look for the Peer reviewed limiter.

This guide explains how to find peer-reviewed sources using the Search Everything tool. Below are tips on how to find peer-reviewed articles in some of the library databases.

EBSCOhost databases: In EBSCOhost databases, look for the Publication Date filters and Peer Reviewed checkbox under Filters. If you've already completed your search, you can find the Peer Reviewed button under the search box.

Peer review checkbox in EBSCOhost

Proquest databases: In Proquest databases, look for the Peer Reviewed checkbox under the search box or, if you've already completed your search, find the Peer Reviewed filter in the left-hand pane on the results page.

Peer reviewed checkbox in Proquest

Gale databases: In Gale databases, after you conduct your search, look for the Peer-reviewed journals filter on the right hand side of the screen in the Filter Your Results box.

Gale peer-reviewed limiter

Which Database Should I Choose?

Case Law, Legislation

Quicklaw (Lexis Advance)

Legal research database. Contains a vast array of legal information in English and French covering every jurisdiction in Canada, and many foreign jurisdictions. Includes court and tribunal cases, legislation, and international cases.

Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLii)

Legal research database. Provides access to judgments from all Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada as well as consolidated statutes and regulations of every Canadian jurisdiction.

Company Profiles

Business Source Premier

Business research database. Covers all areas of business, accounting, economics, finance, management, information systems and marketing. Includes company profiles, SWOT analyses, industry and market research reports.

Statista

Contains more than 1,000,000 statistics covering 170 different industries and includes market and consumer data, forecasts and outlooks.

Country Profiles

Business Source Premier

Statista

Contains more than 1,000,000 statistics covering 170 different industries and includes market and consumer data, forecasts and outlooks.

CultureGrams World Edition

Easy-to-read reports that describe the diversity and history of each U.S. state. Content includes maps, flags and symbols, as well as sections on geography, population, and Indigenous peoples.

Competitive Analysis

Business Source Premier

Statista

Contains more than 1,000,000 statistics covering 170 different industries and includes market and consumer data, forecasts and outlooks.

Demographics, Census, Statistics

Statista

Contains more than 1,000,000 statistics covering 170 different industries and includes market and consumer data, forecasts and outlooks.

Canadian Census

This site presents information from the 2021 Census of Population for various levels of geography, including provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas, communities and census tracts.

Statistics Canada

Statistics on Canada's economy, society and environment required by Canadian citizens to function effectively as citizens and decision makers.

How-To Guides & Manuals

O’Reilly Online Learning

Multimedia technology database. Covers the topics of Computer & Engineering Science, Interactive Arts & Technology, Information Systems and Engineering. Includes videos, live online training, learning paths, ebooks, tutorials, and more.

LinkedIn Learning

An online educational platform that helps you discover and develop business, technology-related, and creative skills through expert-led course videos. View the LinkedIn Learning guide for more information.

Evidence-Based Reviews/Health Research

Evidence Based Medicine Reviews (OVID)

Health research database. Contains a collection of evidence-based medicine resources that provide reliable information on the effects of interventions in health care. Includes reviews from the American College of Physicians. Note: Limited to 12 concurrent users.

Healthstar (OVID)

Health research database. Covers the topics of patient outcomes, effectiveness of processes, health care administration, health policy, health economics and quality assurance. Focuses on both the clinical and non-clinical aspects of health care delivery and includes citations from the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) MEDLINE.

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

A collection of databases in medicine and other healthcare specialties. Contains systematic reviews and meta-analyses which summarize and interpret the results of medical research. Includes full-text journals, editorials and supplements.

Emcare (OVID)

Premium nursing and allied health database. Covers all nursing specialities and nursing healthcare professions. Includes international coverage of allied health, midwifery, healthcare economics, social work, psychiatry and mental health, traumatology, emergency and critical-care medicine.

MEDLINE Ovid

Premier biomedical database. Covers audiology, nutrition, medicine, nursing, occupational & physical therapy, psychiatry & psychology. Includes citations and abstracts from more than 4,600 biomedical journals published in 70 countries.

eBooks

Ebook Central

Multidisciplinary eBook database. Covers the topics of the arts, business, education, health, history, law, literature, religion and technology. Includes thousands of fiction & non-fiction works, scholarly monographs and classic literature. NOTE: The new Ebook Central Reader App is here to make reading on the go easier than ever. The App provides a secure, accessible and modern reading experience for full-book downloads. Learn how to use and explore the new app!

eBooks - Academic Collection (EBSCO)

Multidisciplinary eBook database. Covers academic subjects from business and science to engineering and the humanities. Includes titles from leading university presses such as Oxford, Cambridge, MIT, Harvard and many others.

Gale eBooks

Multidisciplinary eBook database. Contains encyclopedias and reference books that focus on the humanities, social sciences, health and more.

Market Outlooks/Industry Profiles

Business Source Premier

Statista

Contains more than 1,000,000 statistics covering 170 different industries and includes market and consumer data, forecasts and outlooks.

News

Canadian Business and Current Affairs

Multidisciplinary Canadian research database. Covers the topics of agriculture, business, education, politics, health, history and social sciences. Includes trade publications, radio/television transcripts, news and dissertations.

Canada (Gale in Context)

Canada (Gale In Context)Multidisciplinary Canadian research database. Covers First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Confederation of Canada as well as technology and sports. Includes global news feeds and biographies of Canadian figures.

Canadian Reference Centre

Multidisciplinary Canadian research database. Includes full-text articles from leading Canadian and international magazines and newspapers and thousands of images from the Canadian Press.

News (Gale OneFile)

Full-text newspaper database. Contains content from U.S. regional, national, and local newspapers, as well as leading titles from around the world. Includes thousands of images, radio and TV broadcasts and transcripts.

Hamilton Spectator

Newspaper for Hamilton, Ontario containing local and international news. Coverage available from February 1993 to present.

Regional Business News

Multidisciplinary database containing full text regional business publications for the United States & Canada.

Peer-reviewed/Academic Articles & Journals (General)

Academic Search Premier

Multidisciplinary research database. Covers the subjects of biology, chemistry, engineering, physics and psychology. Includes peer-reviewed, full-text articles and videos from the Associated Press.

Academic OneFile Select

Multidisciplinary research database. Covers everything from art and literature to economics and the sciences. Includes peer-reviewed, full-text articles and vocational/technical titles.

Note: See your Research Guide for academic databases related to your field of study.

SWOT Analysis

Business Source Premier

Statista

Contains more than 1,000,000 statistics covering 170 different industries and includes market and consumer data, forecasts and outlooks.

Videos

Academic Video Online

Multidisciplinary video database. Covers everything from anthropology to zoology. Includes documentaries, interviews, feature films, performances, news programs, newsreels and demonstrations.

Criterion On-Demand

Online video database. Contains feature films, classics, foreign films & documentaries from major producers, including, Paramount, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, and many more. Titles include English, French and Subtitled/Captioned versions.

CBC Curio

Streaming video and audio database from the CBC and Radio Canada. Contains documentaries, radio and TV content including Doc Zone, Dragons Den and News in Review. Includes documentaries, news, drama, teacher's guides and more.

Films on Demand

Multidisciplinary video database. Contains thousands of documentary and educational videos from a wide variety of producers, such as the BBC, National Geographic, PBS, and TED.

LinkedIn Learning

National Film Board

Canadian public film and digital media database. Coverage spans a wide range of subject areas. Includes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and alternative dramas in both English and French.

O’Reilly Online Learning

This tool has been adapted from Sheridan College Library's Which Database Tool.

Search Everything

Search almost all of the Library's resources at once using The Search Everything tool.

Search for Articles

Use this search box to find articles in the Library's collections.

Library DIY Guides

The Library's Do It Yourself guides provide simple step-by-step instructions on how to find print and electronic resources in the Library collection and tips for assignments, essay writing and citing.

Library DIY Guides

Pro Tip: Keep Yourself Organized

Some databases allow you to save items to a list. This is a great way to keep track of resources as you find them! In order to do so, you will need to create a login or use your Mohawk ID and password.

Search Everything Tool

In the Search Everything tool, you can use the "pin" to pin items to a list.

Make sure to click Sign In first using your Mohawk ID and password so that items you save can be accessed the next time you log in.
After entering your search words and conducting a search, look for and click the pin icon located next to an item in order to save that item to a list.

After pinning items, create labels:

Click your login name in the top right of the screen to go to your list
Organize your items by creating labels. Click Add Labels
Add an existing label or create a new label

Click the "Add Labels" link located under the item information

Choose from existing labels or add a new label.

In EBSCOhost databases, you can save articles to a list. This is called “saving to a project”. To do so, you need to set up a new login. This login can be whatever you choose, it does not need to be your Mohawk ID and password.

In ProQuest databases, you can save articles to your “My Research” account. To do so, you need to set up a new login. This login can be whatever you choose, it does not need to be your Mohawk ID and password

In Gale databases, you do not need to create a separate login to save items to a list. You can send items to your Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or email items to your email account or to someone else. To do this, once you select an article to view, click the Send to icon in the top right navigation bar, and then make your choice.

The "Send To" icon is located in the top right navigation bar.

Find the Gale databases in the Databases A-Z List.

Tracking Your Sources

When working on an assignment, it is important to keep track of the resources you are using. In doing so, you can ensure you cite all of the sources you reference in your work.

Tips to track sources

Cite as you go. Many of the library's databases, as well as the library catalogue, have a built in citation tool. The library has a guide on how to find this tool. This built in tool can help you to create a "rough draft" of your citations and help to manage references. It is important to check these citations to make sure they are correct and follow the proper citation rules before submitting your assignment.
Use Permalinks and DOIs when gathering links. These are links that are more stable than a URL, making them a better option to use to keep track of your sources. Most resources that can be found through the library databases or catalogue contain an option to get the permalink or DOI.
Download and save or print articles as you find them. Most databases have a download option so you can save or print the articles.
Email the articles to yourself. Most databases and items in the library catalogue have an option to send articles to your email or Google Drive.
Create a research log as you work. The log can include information like citation, link, title, database, etc. to help keep track of the sources you've used.
Bookmark the sites/resources you've used so you can easily find them again.
Pin works that you're using in the library catalogue. You can later access them in "My Favorites" on the library website.