1. Finding Article for a Literature Review Using CSUN’s Oviatt Library Online Merle Price, ELPS Department

2. Connect to www.csun.edu Find the link to the library. Read through “How to do library research?” for an overview. Go Back and Use Data Bases A to Z. Click on E and find Eric on EbscoHost.

3. Activate your CSUN email before going online From home you will need to enter your ID (email/solar account) and password. This information will not only allow you to use the search engines but it will also allow you access to many articles online. The library subscribes to electronic versions of most research journals. Otherwise if you do not go through CSUN’s library, you would have to pay for a copy of an article of interest.

4. Boolean Search Use the boxes when you bring up EbscoHost to enter concepts or keywords related to your topic. Use “or” in between words or phrases for more than one connection to a concept (example- secondary schools or high schools). Enter at least three concepts related to your topic (example-small learning community on line one, high schools on line 2, and achievement on line 3). Click on search.

5. Search Continued How many articles came up? You can narrow the choice of articles to look at by clicking on any of the terms or conditions on the left if one or more might be more applicable to you action research issue. Next find a title of interest and click the link to find text or full text. You might have to also click on “go” after the source of the text is identified.

6. Is the article related to my research topic Read the abstract of the article to determine whether or not this article or paper is related to your proposed action research. If the abstract seems related to your topic, you can print out the full paper and read it You should also look at the bibliography in the paper because it may include additional articles and sources for your literature review.

7. Searching for additional articles If you are having difficulty finding articles, consider entering additional terms separated by “or” in your search Examples of alternatives are: teaching algebra or algebra instruction computer assisted instruction or cai second language learners or bilingual education coaching or professional developers

8. Additional online resources Select Internet Search Engines listed under Find Resources (left side of the screen underneath the word, Northridge) Find and select Google Scholar from the alphabetical list. Select Advanced Scholar Search. In the empty box next to Find the articles with the exact phrase, enter your keywords. Continue to fill in empty boxes. Press Search Scholar and see how many records you have. Click on Recent Articles at the top of the page.

9. Additional Help The library site has a help link. You can call a research librarian at 818-677-2600 or 818-677-2285 and indicate that you are a graduate student in the ELPS department taking Research in Education as part of your Master’s Program. Email Merle.Price@csun.edu for suggestions about online searches.Merle.Price@csun.edu