ENG 120 & ENG 200 (Campus) Research Guide
Google Scholar
It's true that you can find some high-quality, scholarly articles online. If you're going to search online for articles, make sure to evaluate your sources thoroughly. Check out our Google Like a Librarian guide for search tips or ask a librarian (ask@snhu.libanswers.com) if you need more help.
When using Google Scholar, you may limit by publication date in the left hand margin, but otherwise there are not many tools like in the library databases. Google Scholar does provide citations in several formats, but clicking on the quotation marks beneath the result. Additionally, Google Scholar will list most of the articles that have been published since each one in the results list... click on "Cited by" beneath the results to see all the articles that cite that one! This is a great way to find more recent resources once you find a good source that might be a few years old.
Here are the directions to link Google Scholar to the Shapiro Library databases: FAQ: How can I use Google Scholar to find electronic articles held by the Shapiro Library?
Semantic Scholar
When you search in Semantic Scholar, all the results will come from scholarly journals or books. Semantic Scholar is Microsoft's version of Google Scholar. However, there is no way yet to connect Semantic Scholar to the library's databases.
Looking for Journals
Publication Finder
You can also look for specific journals by title, ISSN, subject or association or browse by subject by using our Publication Finder. When you come across a specific article in another place such as the bibliography of another article or book, the best way to locate it is to use the Publication Finder to see if and where the journal the article was printed in is available in Shapiro's databases.
Where to find articles: Databases
The Shapiro Library subscribes numerous databases filled with scholarly articles, book chapters, research reports, statistics, videos, newspapers, and more, from thousands of respected publications. You can see a complete list of all the databases the library subscribes to on our A - Z Database List. The A - Z Database List page includes an alphabetical list of all the databases the library subscribes to as well as databases grouped together by subject (e.g. "History"), type (e.g. "Includes News & Current Topics"), or owner (e.g. "Librarian Chris Cooper"). The following is a list of multi-subject databases for the variety of topics that come up in ENG 120 & ENG 200:
- Credo This link opens in a new windowOnline reference library that provides access to a selection of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and books of quotations in general and subject-specific disciplines. Credo includes interactive mind maps.
- EBSCOhost This link opens in a new windowEBSCOhost is a customizable search of full-text articles and abstracts of articles in magazines, journals and newspapers. You can select the EBSCO databases that you would like to search at the same time and click continue.
- Opposing Viewpoints in Context - Gale This link opens in a new windowOne-stop source for information on social issues.
- CQ Researcher - SAGE This link opens in a new windowReports that explores a single current issue in the news in depth. Topics range from social and teen issues to environment, health, education and science and technology.
- Gale This link opens in a new windowMain site of Gale/Cengage databases that Shapiro Library subscribes to. You can search multiple databases at once or select a database to search.
- ScienceDirect This link opens in a new windowOffers a collection of full-text, scholarly journals and eBooks in science, technology, medicine, and social sciences.
- SAGE Journals This link opens in a new windowThe SAGE Journals platform includes full text of scholarly journals from SAGE publications in many disciplines, such as, education, sociology, women's studies, criminal justice and business.
- USA.gov This link opens in a new windowPremier search engine that retrieves information from all the web sites of the U.S. federal government
Permalinks
How to save a link to an article from a library database
Once you locate an article in the Multi-Search or any of the databases, if you want to save the link to the article, you must use the Permalink (also called Stable, Persistent, Durable or Static link/URL, etc.) provided by that database. Here are some FAQs about what a permalink is, how to find and/or create one for a source found in a library database.
Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a free cooperative service between libraries that provides current SNHU students, staff, faculty, and emeritus faculty access to books, articles, and other materials that Shapiro Library does not own with the exception of textbooks. When searching library databases, if you come across a resource that we do not have, you will be brought to a screen with a link to Request This Item Through Interlibrary Loan. Additionally, users may log in to the ILL system independently to create requests, check the status and retrieve electronically loaned items.
Learn more about Interlibrary Loan: FAQ: What is Interlibrary Loan?