• Using EBSCOhost Online Databases
• Search basics
• Refining your search
• Displaying search results
• The Advanced Search Window
• Guided Search
• Saving results
• To email your search results
• To print your search results
• To save your search results
• To begin a new search or exit EBSCOhost Online
• For more help
• Additional hints

1. EBSCOhost Online databases at CSM include Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier, Agricola, and MedicLatina. Access is restricted to systems with campus IP addresses.
2. Open the EBSCO search page by selecting an EBSCO database from the Database Search Page page (see a Reference Librarian for assistance).
3. Select an EBSCO database or databases from the selection menu on the screen.

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1. Use the default Search Window selected by your EBSCOhost administrator, or choose another by selecting it from the Search Window Tabbed Toolbar.
2. EBSCO provides several ways to search the databases—Basic,  Advanced, and Guided Search Windows may be available.
3. The Basic Search Window lets you create a search using a variety of search methods.  You enter your search terms in the Find field and select from: Standard Search, Match All Words, Match Any Words, and Match Exact Phrase.
4. Boolean operators can be used in a Standard Search. Depending on the Search Window you are using, different options are available. Some search options let you use field codes and items retrieved from a Search History List.
5. By default, the results of a Basic Search are displayed in descending date order, (relevancy order for the "Match Any Words option) with the most recent article displayed first.
6. The Spell Check feature suggests alternate spellings when you misspell a term.

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1. Use limiters or expanders to broaden or narrow the focus of your search.
2. Limit your results by narrowing your focus.  For example you can limit your search by including items that are only full text or peer reviewed.
3. Expand your search by broadening your focus.  For example, by including synonyms and plurals of your search term(s), or search for your keywords within the full text of articles, as well as citation and abstract information.
4. The choice of limiters and expanders available to you depends on the database you are using.
    

      
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1. To change the display options for the Result List, click Options on the Search Window Toolbar.  The Options Window appears.
2. Select your display and formatting options.  (Options vary depending on the databases you have selected).  You can also set display and formatting options after the Result List appears.
3. When the search is complete, the Result List appears.  When searching multiple databases, duplicate records are removed.  Use the right and left arrow buttons to page through your results.
4. The Result List contains items from the selected databases that fit the search you created.  The level of detail provided depends on the search and display options you selected.
5. Search results can be citations, document summaries or abstracts, and can include links to full text.
6. To check for a list of Internet links relevant to the current search, click Search Web Links.

      
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1. The Advanced Search Window uses keyword searching, search history and limiters to help you focus your search.
2. On the Tabbed Toolbar, click Advanced Search.
3. Enter your search terms in the Find field. Your search terms can be keywords or selections from search history. Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) can also be included in your search. You can also use field codes with your search terms.
4. Click Field Codes to display a list of field codes available with the databases you are using. Type the field code before you search terms to limit those words to the field you entered. For example, AU Smith will find records that contain Smith in the Author field.
5. Add limiters or expanders from the Search Options tab. To select multiple values from a list, press the Ctrl key (or Command key) and click the left mouse button. (If you change expanders while searching, this may affect your search history.)
6. Click on the Search button.

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1. If the guided search fields are displayed, you can enter text on all three lines, select field codes from the drop-down list, and select Boolean operators to connect search terms.
2. After you click Search, the input from all three lines is joined together. And takes precedence over or when grouping items together. Parentheses are assigned based on this logic.
3. To force grouping, you can enter the parentheses or place "grouped" expressions together in a single input field.

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• The View Folder feature lets you collect and manage a list of search results found during your current session. You can use the folder to:
  • Collect results from different searches and keep them in the folder.
  • Print, e-mail or save collected results from the folder. When you want to print, e-mail or save several results, you should always save them to the folder, then print, e-mail or save from the folder. (You can still print, e-mail, or save individual results from the open article or citation--see below.)
  • You can remove specific results, or clear the entire folder and collect new results during your session. If you end your session, or it times out due to inactivity, the folder is automatically cleared.

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1. From the Result List, select the item you want to email.  Click E-mail.  The E-mail Manager Window appears..
2. If you don't select which items you want to email, the E-mail Manager assumes you want to email the entire Result List.
3. Select the format for the results you want to email, and then select from the choices associated with the format.
4. Enter the email address(es).  Use a semicolon between each email address.
5. Click E-mail.  A message appears when your email has been sent.
6. To e-mail several articles, you should add them to the View Folder, then e-mail them. From the folder list, click E-mail. The E-mail Manager Window appears.

1. From the Result List, select the item you want to print.  Click Print.  The Print Manager Window appears..
2. If you don't select which items you want to print, the Print Manager assumes you want to print the entire Result List.
3. To estimate the number of pages that will be printed, click the Estimate number of pages link.
4. Select the format for the results you want to print, and then select from the choices associated with the format.
5. Click Print.
6. To print several articles, you should add them to the View Folder, then print them. From the folder list, click Print. The Print Manager Window appears. (Click the link to estimate the number of pages that will be printed.)

1. From the Result List, select the item you want to save.  Click Save.  The Save Manager Window appears..
2. If you don't select which items you want to save, the Save Manager assumes you want to save the entire Result List.
3. Select the format for the results you want to save, and then select from the choices associated with the format.
4. Click Save.
5. From your browser menu, click File>Save As.  Enter the path where the file should be saved (for example, A:\Filename).  Be sure to save as an HTML or text file.
6. Click Save.
7. To save several articles, you should add them to the View Folder, then save them. From the folder list, click Save to Disk. The Save Manager Window appears.  Select the format for the results you want to save. You can save Articles, Links, or in Bibliography Manager format.

1. Click on New Search at the top of the screen.

1. Exit your browser.

• Click on Help at the top of the screen.

• Contact the Reference staff.

• See our Database Search Tips for tips on conducting effective searches.

The Authority files

You can search EBSCOhost using keywords, but you can also search your databases by browsing Authority Files—indexes that categorize data according to subject, magazine or journal title, local holdings or other database-specific designation.

The Authority Files that are available depend on the databases you search.

To search an Authority File, from the Tabbed Toolbar, click the Subjects sub-toolbar button.

Creating a bibliography

EBSCOhost includes the Bibliography Manager download option to let researchers download one or more results to a format compatible with Biblio-Link and Pro-Cite (as well as other data management programs).

Saving your results to a file using this option creates a text file with a special tagged format that Biblio-Link and Pro-Cite can import and transfer for use with their software.

Search history

Expert searches from your current session are saved and numbered, starting with S1. You can combine saved searches by entering them in the Find field - for example, S1 and S2. When you do, the limiters from each search are applied to the new search.

If S1 is a search for heart and (PT Case Studies or PT Practice Guideline) and S2 is a search for liver and kidney and FT Y , a search that combines S1 and S2 searches:

• S1 and S2: ((heart) and (PT Case Studies or PT Practice Guideline)) and ((liver and kidney) and (FT Y))
• S1 or S2: ((heart) and (PT Case Studies or PT Practice Guideline)) or ((liver and kidney (and FT Y))

In either case, the limiters from both searches are included.

Searches run from the Basic or Guided Search Windows are not saved to the History File used by the Expert Search Window.