To find recent reliable peer-reviewed scholarly articles in EBSCO Academic Search Complete on a topic such as social media's impact on adolescent mental health, follow these steps:
1. Access EBSCO Academic Search Complete:
- Select Academic Search Complete from the list of databases in the Multidisciplinary Databases box on the Databases page.
2. Navigate to the Search Interface:
- Once in Academic Search Complete, you will see a search bar at the top of the page. This is where you will enter your search terms.
3. Use Effective Search Terms:
- Enter a combination of keywords to narrow down your search. For example:
- "social media" AND "adolescent mental health"
- "social media" AND ("teenagers" OR "adolescents") AND ("mental health" OR "well-being" OR "depression" OR "anxiety")
- Use quotation marks around phrases (e.g., "social media") to search for exact terms.
- Combine terms with Boolean operators:
- AND to ensure all terms are included (e.g., social media AND mental health).
- OR to include synonyms or related terms (e.g., teenagers OR adolescents).
- NOT to exclude irrelevant topics (e.g., social media NOT adults).
4. Refine Your Search with Filters:
- After entering your search terms, use the filters on the left-hand side of the results page to refine your results:
- Peer-Reviewed: Check the box for "Scholarly Journals" to ensure only peer-reviewed articles are displayed.
- Publication Date: Adjust the date range to focus on recent articles (e.g., 2020–2025 for the most current research).
- Source Type: Select Academic Journals to exclude non-scholarly sources like magazines or newspapers.
- Subject: Narrow results by selecting relevant subjects like “Mental Health,” “Adolescents,” or “Social Media.”
- Language: Filter for articles in your preferred language (e.g., English, Spanish, etc.).
5. Advanced Search Option:
- For more precise results, click on the Advanced Search link below the main search bar.
- Use multiple search fields to combine terms. For example:
- Field 1: social media (select “All Text” or “Abstract”).
- Field 2: adolescent OR teenager (select “Subject” or “Abstract”).
- Field 3: mental health OR depression OR anxiety (select “Subject” or “Abstract”).
- Apply limiters directly in the Advanced Search interface, such as Peer-Reviewed, Full Text (if you want immediate access to articles), and Publication Date.
6. Review and Select Articles:
- Browse the search results to identify relevant articles. Look at the title, abstract, and publication details to ensure the article fits your information needs.
- Click on the article title to view the full record, which includes the abstract, keywords, and sometimes a PDF link if full text is available.
- If the full text isn’t available, copy and paste the title into Google to see if it is available for free, or request an interlibrary loan.
7. Save and Export Results:
- Use the Add to Folder feature to save articles to your EBSCO account for later review. Be sure to create an account to utilize this feature.
- Export citations to a reference manager such as NoodleTools, Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote by selecting the Export option and choosing your preferred format (e.g., RIS, BibTeX).
- You can also email or download PDFs of articles (if available) directly from the database.
8. Tips for Better Results:
- Check cited references: If you find a highly relevant article, look at its references or use the “Times Cited in this Database” feature to find related studies.
- Use subject terms: After running a search, check the Subject Terms or Thesaurus in EBSCO to find standardized terms for more precise searches (e.g., “Social Networking” or “Mental Health”).
- Expand to other databases: If your results are limited, try other databases, which may have more specialized content on psychology and health.
9. Troubleshooting:
- If you are not finding enough results, broaden your search terms (e.g., use “digital media” instead of “social media”).
- If you need help with specific search strings or navigating the platform, view a video tutorial and/or request a research consultation with Mr. Moore.