Ebscohost Databases

(Academic Search Elite, MasterFile Premier, Business Source Elite, Primary Search, Vocational Search, Health Source Plus, Professional Development, ERIC, Ethnic News Watch, Health Source Nursing Academic Edition)

Ebscohost databases contain articles from nearly 1,850 newspapers, magazines, and journals on a broad range of subjects: humanities, social sciences, health, general reference, business, science, ethnic news, animals, vocations, and current news. Computerized full-texts are available for articles published from 1990-present; citations and summaries are available for articles published from 1984-1990.

Getting Started

Click "Ebscohost" on the Libraries database list.
Checkmark all of the Ebsco databases that you would like to search.
Click "Continue" at the bottom of the page.

Searching

 > Connect descriptive keywords with AND, OR, NOT.
France and cheese finds articles that contain both "France" and "cheese".
science or biology finds articles that contain either "science" or "biology".
drama not film finds articles that contain "drama" but not "film".

> Phrase Searching: Enclose terms in quotation marks to find an exact phrase.
Example: "due process of law" finds this exact phrase.

>Truncation: Use an asterisk to find various forms of a word.
Example: Type theat* to find "theater", "theaters", "theatre", and "theatrical".

> To find more articles, check the boxes under Expand Your Search:
> To find less articles, check the boxes under Limit Your Search:
> Click the "Advanced Search" button on the green bar at the top of the screen to limit your search to these types of materials: peer-reviewed articles, articles with images, cover stories, and articles with a specific number of pages.

Viewing Articles

Articles available for online viewing will have one of these messages:

> Full-Text: Click on this message to see the article’s text.

> Full Page Image: Click on this message to see the article in a PDF format.

> Check linked full-text sources: Click on this message to see the article’s text.

> Full-Text from EDRS: Click here to retrieve the full-text. If you have trouble retireving the full-text, please ask a librarian.

 

What if Ebscohost has the citation of an article but not the full-text?

Search in the Libraries’ Catalog for the title of the magazine containing the article:

> Click on the citation of the article that you would like.
> Scroll down and click "check library holdings".
>The journal will appear if the library owns it
> Scroll down to determine if the Library Has the appropriate month and year of the journal. (If multiple headings appear, click on the number of each heading to see if the library has the appropriate month and year.)
> Write down the Location and Call Number for the journal or magazine.

Printing and Emailing

> Full Text:

Printing:

> Click the "Print" button at the top of the article.
> Click the "Print" button.
> Click "OK" on the pop-up window.
> To return to the list of articles: Click the "Back" icon at the top left of the article (Not the "Back" button on the browser bar). Click "ResultsList" to return to the list of articles.

Emailing:

>Click the "Email" button at the top of the article and then type in your email address. Click "Send"

Saving:

>Click the "Save" button at the top of the article.
>Click "Save" on the right side of the screen.
>Select "File" then "Save as" from your browser's toolbar above. Be sure to save as a plain text file (.txt) or an HTML file (.html).

> Full Page Image: Click the printer or disk icon at the top left of the screen. Or, select the email feature at the top right of the screen.

 

What if I cannot find any information?

Ask a librarian at the Information Desk. You can also call us at 348-6047.
We will be very happy to help you!

 

Inside the Library:

 > Click on one of the Ebscohost databases on the Computer Desktop Screen
> Click "Login to Ebscohost" on the left side of the screen.
> Click "Ebscohostweb" in the center of the screen.
> Scroll down and checkmark the databases that you wish to search.
> Click the "Enter" button at the top of the list.

Outside the Library:

 > Go to the web pagewww.lib.ua.edu
> Select either the "Databases" or "Resources" list.
> Click on an appropriate subject heading.
> Select one of the Ebsco databases listed at the top of this sheet.
> If prompted, enter your name and Student ID number.
> If necessary, checkmark the collections that you wish to search.
> Click the "Enter" button at the top of the list.


After each citation, notice the words following "View." "Text" means the full text of the article is available. "Abstract" and/or "citation" are available for the rest.

Printing/E-mail/Exit

To print an article: First, click on "View" under the citation. (Remember: the number in parentheses at the end of the citation is the number of pages in the article.) Next, click on the printer icon near the top left of the screen.

To print a set of articles: First, mark each article by clicking on the box labeled "Mark." Next, click on the "Mark List" button near the top right corner of the screen. Then click on "Reformat checked." Finally, click on "File" at the top left corner; click on "Print" from that menu, then "OK."

To e-mail one or more articles: Mark the articles; click on "Mark List"; then click on "E-mail checked."

To exit EAI: Simply click on the "x" button in the top right corner of the screen, to close the "window."


Advanced Searching

To modify your present search, click on "Limit." You may limit the list to articles with full text given; to articles from refereed, or scholarly, journals; by date; or to a particular journal. You may also add keywords.

Click on "Advanced search" or "PowerTrac" to modify any of your previous searches by author, journal title, date, etc.

Example: You have previously done a keyword search for "titanic." To find only articles from Newsweek, click on "Advanced search" from the search screen. From the box labeled "Select index," choose "Journal Name (jn)." The letters jn will appear in the search box. Click to the right, leaving a space after jn; then type newsweek and, followed by the number of the search to be modified. (The searches are displayed in the box on the upper left, each with a number such as R1 or R2.) The search box should now read as follows:

jn newsweek and r1

Click "Search." When the new search results are shown, click "View."