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Your prof asked you to find articles for an essay or lab report you have to write, but you're not sure where to start.
This video will guide you through the many online databases we have at the University of Waterloo and help you find what you're looking for.
Each database contains hundreds, or even thousands, of journals, newspapers, and magazines.
Most databases contain information from a specific subject area.
These journals, newspapers, and magazines all contain articles or scholarly reports.
Start from the library homepage, which is located at lib.uwaterloo.ca
One of the best ways to start your search is to consult our Subject Guides,
so click on the Subject Guide link, which is third from the top in the right-hand column.
The Subject Guides are divided by department and designed by a librarian to help you find the best resources for your topic.
For instance, if I'm a biology student, I would click on Science and select Biology.
Each librarian sets up their Subject Guide differently, so spend some time getting to know yours.
Here is a list of the Top Research Databases this librarian suggests, so I'll choose Web of Science to start my search.
Most librarians also suggest that you search in two or three databases to get better coverage on your topic.
If you already know which database you want to use, you can start from the library homepage,
and select the Research Databases link, which is fifth from the bottom in the left-hand column.
On this new page, you can browse through uWaterloo's subscription databases alphabetically, by subject, or by most popular.
Again, select Biology and scroll down to find Web of Science.
Be sure to check the database descriptions to see what type of information you'll find within each resource,
such as government publications, journals, or theses.
Some databases will be more relevant than others depending on your search.
When you conduct a search, the database will find a list of articles from different journals that are related to your search.
Each article will tell you how to access it.
If the database gives full access to the article, it should say "full text" or "PDF".
If you don't see the full-text or PDF links, select the Get it @ Waterloo link
to see a list of databases that do provide access to the article you're looking for.
Click on any of these links and you should be taken to the article you need.
If you have any trouble accessing online articles, or any questions about this video, ask a librarian.
We're happy to help!