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AAE 780: Research Colloquium (Spring 2024) : Searching the Literature

Selecting and Searching Databases by Subject or Type

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You can access databases from the library home page (library.wisc.edu). Use the dropdown menu at the Catalog button to navigate to Databases

There are several ways to browse and to select databases: 

1) Search by the title of the database (for example, 'EconLit').

2) Use the Browse by Subject/Type page to discover databases that index literature on your research topic.

3) Visit the Top 10 Databases page to quickly access a selection of popularly-used databases. 

Consider the databases listed, below, for conducting your search of the research literature.

Getting to the Full Article

Follow  Check Find It for availability. A new window will open... (Find It button) or the "Find It at UW Madison" link in most databases to:

  • access the full article (when available)
  • determine if the journal is available in print (Library Catalog)
  • request a copy of the article (PDF) if the full article is not available online (Request a Copy link)

If you already have a citation, use the Citation Search to find the full article.

Searching Tips for Online Databases

  • Use AND to combine search terms; retrieve records with those terms, in any order: friends AND communication
  • Use OR to combine similar search terms or synonyms: friends OR peers
  • Use quotation marks ( " ") to search a required phrase: "interpersonal communication"
  • Use an asterisk ( * ) to retrieve singular and plural forms or suffixes for search terms: friend* = friend, friends, friendly or friendship
  • Review "subject headings" or "descriptors" to identify additional and useful search terms.
  • Apply limits or filters to your results (by date, document type, or other).