Provided by Elsevier Publishing, ScienceDirect is a resource for researching scientific topics. All journals in the database are scholarly. This tab in the research guide will provide you with a step-by-step process of searching for articles for your class assignments.
Selecting a topic is one of the most important steps of your research. You should select a topic that is of interest to you and is make sure that the focus is not too broad or too narrow. Next, develop a research question describing what you want to find and identify key terms that you will use in your searches.
Research question: Genetic testing can identify hereditary risks for cancer.
Keywords: "genetic testing" and hereditary and cancer.
Access ScienceDirect with the links in this guide or from the Library's home page under Database List A-Z. If you are accessing the database remotely, you need to enter your MU ID and password.
1) Enter your keywords (e.g. "genetic testing" AND hereditary AND cancer)
Use "quotation marks" around search phrases (e.g. "genetic testing")
Use AND between terms or phrases to search articles containing both terms.
2) Search results are displayed with the keywords. Narrow the search for more focused results by adding a term. For broader results use fewer search terms.
3) Refine search results by publication date. Use pull-down to show additional years. For currency, start with last 5 years.
4) Refine by type of article. Research articles have a complete report of research. Review articles provide an overview of research with references.
5) Click on a document title to view the article information page:
On the article information page you will find:
6) Authors, journal title, volume, issue, page numbers, publication date, and DOI number.
7) Abstract - a summary of the article's content. Read this to determine whether it answers your research question before reading the entire article.
8) Outline - click through the html document to quickly go to specific sections of the article.
9) Related articles - list of additional articles on your topic.
10) Download PDF of the full article from the article information page.
11) Get Access - Most articles are available full text in ScienceDirect. However, some items will have a Get Access icon instead of PDF. Click on Get Access and then click GET ARTICLE.
12) GET ARTICLE searches all of the MU databases for a copy of the article. If none is available, click "Request this item" to get the article through InterLibrary Loan (ILL). If it is the first time you are requesting an ILL, you will need to fill out the form. Once you submit the form a copy of the article will be sent to your email in a few days. The next time you request an ILL the form will be filled in automatically.