If you are off campus and do not see any of the “Full Text @ VSU” links, you can add VSU as a library in the settings by completing the following steps:
1. Go to Google Scholar
2. Click on "Settings" in the upper middle of the screen
3. Click on "Library Links" on the left hand side
4. Search for "Valdosta State University" and click on "Valdosta State University Odum Library - Full Text @ VSU"
5. Click save.
See below for more information on how to use Google Scholar:
https://scholar.google.com/intl/en/scholar/help.html#overview
Quote marks can make searches more specific, especially if you're looking for a specific phrase. They instruct the database search to hold all the words together in a specific order, rather than allowing them to be found scattered throughout the item record.
Examples:
Another use for quotation marks is to search for titles of articles. "In-hive patterns of temporal polyethism in strains of honey bees (Apis mellifera) with distinct genetic backgrounds."
Note--not everything needs quotation marks.It is helpful to attempt searches with and without quotation marks to compare results.
Truncation expands the search to locate all words beginning with the same root word. Most databases use an asterisk * to truncate.
Example:
Boolean operators, called "connectors", allow a database search to be narrowed, broadened or made more precise. In Boolean searching, sets are created by inserting an operator between search terms.
There are three Boolean operators: AND, OR, and NOT.
A more detail description and example of each operator is given below.
Boolean operators
Boolean operators (or "connectors") allow a database search to be narrowed, broadened or made more precise. In Boolean searching, sets are created by inserting an operator between search terms.
AND
The AND operator is used for narrowing or focusing a search topic. AND specifies that both terms must be present on a record for it to be retrieved. Because of this, you will get fewer search results when using AND, but you will get more focused results.
Example: media bias AND politics, sports AND concussions, chocolate AND caramel
OR
The operator OR is used for expanding or broadening a search topic. Using the OR operator instructs the computer to retrieves records that contain any of the connected terms.
OR is often used to include synonyms or related terms.
Examples: hip hop OR rap. Latino OR Hispanic. comic books OR graphic novels.
NOT
The NOT operator is used to eliminate false hits, or get rid of that one term that you don't want in your results list.
By using NOT, the computer will retrieve records that contain the first term BUT NOT the second.
Example: football NOT soccer. anxiety NOT depression.
NOT is a bit more complicated and less-used than the first two connectors, but very handy for some sticky searches.
Nesting
Multiple operators may be combined to create complex searches using nesting. Nesting involves enclosing search terms in parentheses to ensure operators are combined in the correct order. Always use the parentheses when mixing different operators!
Example:
(zoos AND aquariums) and conservation
(climate change OR global warming) and agriculture
(Sasquatch NOT Yeti) and folklore
