How to Access Library Resources
Scholarly Articles
In this section, you will learn about the NAU Cline Library’s web page and how to access articles.
Online Articles: Search your topic using the library's databases to find full-text articles. First, go to the Cline Library's website at http://library.nau.edu and then click on the link to "Databases by Subject". From this list select the Sociology databases under "Psychology, Social Work and Sociology".
Sage Journals Online . Scroll down the page and select the database titled Sage Journals Online. Once in the database enter your search terms, such as “Human Rights and Justice”. Next, click the search button.
Review the results list of articles and select articles that are relevant to your research. Try different search terms if you are not getting the articles you need and then review the revised results. Once you find a relevant article, email the article to yourself and you also have the option to export the citation to the citation management tool RefWorks. This is a time saving resource to use as you explore the databases and find relevant research articles you can export each citation. This allows you to compile a list of citations for your reference page which can be easily formatted in APA style.
As you open the .pdf file for the article you will see a menu on the right side of the screen with the option to email the article and to "download to citation manager". If you need assistance with any of these resources, just Ask a Librarian!
Try your own search and explore the databases.
Cline Library has over 175 databases. Try other databases and refining your searches. You can use: JSTOR. SAGE Journals Online, ScienceDirect, and others addressing the topic of Latin America.
Keyword Searching in Database
How to decide which keywords to use when searching the article databases-
Identify the key concepts about your topic:
- Think of words to express your topic.
- Consider alternative words.
- Think about the words the author may use.
Example: I want to research whether advertising effects childrens food choices.
Keywords: food, advertising, children
- Combine your concepts with AND to narrow your search.
- Combine your concepts with OR to broaden your search.
food AND advertising AND children
This type of search returns fewer and more specific results
food OR advertising OR children
This type of search returns many results
If you have trouble finding articles, you can brainstorm alternate words for your concepts. Consider synonyms, alternative spellings, variant endings (e.g., health, healthy, healthier, etc.) and acronyms.
| Food | Advertising | Children |
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Commercials | Families |
| Beverages | Computers in advertising | Age groups |
| Convenience foods | Cartoons | Gender |