Using Infotrac to Find Better Sources

InfoTrac can be used very specifically as well; for instance, you can use InfoTrac to find articles from a specific magazine or journal if you know which issue you need. One way to perform this search is to use the Advanced search functions and select to search only the periodical in question (such as National Geographic or Science News.)  Another way is to search the publications index for the periodical, and then search by issue if you know what issue you need. This was recently helpful for a class we had–they are required to actually use the magazine, regardless of how they found it.  Using the InfoTrac search options, they could easily locate the issue, article, and page numbers, so that when they requested the magazine, they could find the information.  The downside, at least for National Geographic, is that their index only goes back to 1977; the paper index from 1889-1989 is then helpful, if your library has it.  Ours has both the paper catalog and magazine issues back to 1922.  Using Infotrac this way is much simpler than going to the individual magazine’s websites to use their archive searches; using the archives on Nat. Geo. online can be very frustrating, as many articles are not full text.  ScienceNews.org is a little more friendly, but some content may still be blocked if you are not an online subscriber. Try it out! 

The first strategy we recommend is to narrow your focus: choose a specific database that provides the information you need. For instance, if you are in Mr. Raymond’s debate class, you probably want the Opposing Viewpoint Resource Center. If you aren’t sure, spend a moment reading each database’s description so you choose the one that will work best for you.

The second thing to remember is to use specific keywords. Using a general keyword at first, then narrowing it down by “search these results” or the advanced search features will get you much more focused results. Remember, this is not like a general web search–you do not need to ask a question like “What is the story behind the constellation Andromeda?”; you will do better searching for “constellation Andromeda” and perhaps focusing it within the results with “mythology”. If you get stuck, try different keywords before giving up!

Finally, check all the category tabs–you may find something lurking in the subcategories that will be helpful. Spending a few more minutes on InfoTrac might seem frustrating; but unless you are an experienced website surfer, you will nearly always get better results from a monitored database than you will from a random website.