EBSCOHost Guide

Library @

University of Kurdistan Hewlêr

Content for this guide is adapted from information from EBSCOHost

Content

▪ What is EBSCOHost and its coverage

▪ How to access – where to find it

▪ How to use it - search functions and filters

▪ How to refine your result

▪ Tips on how to improve your search

Introduction

▪ EbscoHost holds ‘Academic Search Premier’ (AS Premier) within its portfolio and it is developed specifically for academic institutions.

▪ It is a multi-disciplinary database containing full text for journals, including peer-reviewed titles.

▪ This database also offers indexing and abstracts for journals and citation formats across all referencing styles.

How to access

▪ EBSCOHOST can be accessed from anywhere, however it is limited to staff and employee of UKH. Please follow the following steps to access the database: ▪ In campus access –You do not

require any username and password

▪ Off campus access –You will require username and password. Please ask any of our counter staff or send your request to library@ukh.edu.krd

▪ Go to https://www.ukh.edu.krd/▪ Navigate to Library → Resources →

Databases → Ebscohost Academic Search Premier

▪ On campus –You are not required to login. Go to the next step

▪ Off campus - Enter the

username and password into

the appropriate fields and then

click on the “Login”▪ Select ‘Academic Search Premier’ and

click continue

1. Click Academic

Search Premier

2. Click Continue

Note: Apart from Academic Search Premier database we also have Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts and Health Business Elite.

How to start a search

▪ EBSCOhost supports both basic search and advanced search. However, it is necessary to plan the keyword(s) to be used for your search. It is necessary to plan which keywords to use, and how you will relate them to each other. It is only through planning that the optimal search results will be obtained.

▪ It is necessary to plan which keywords to use, and how you will relate them to each other. It is only through planning that the optimal search results will be obtained

▪ Start with a bigger picture, then filter to narrow down your subjects

Basic Search

• The default option for this database is Basic Search.

• For a more effective Basic Search use Boolean operators to construct a better search such as:• “road accidents” AND traffic

• organisations OR organizations

• “Kurdistan, Iraq” NOT “Greater Kurdistan”

• Click ‘Search’

Advanced Search

• The Advanced Search is especially useful to construct a more complex query by adding more search fields

• Use the drop down boxes to limit search terms to the title, author, subject, geographical location or person etc.

• You could use ‘Limit your result’ to the following options:• ‘Full Text’ article or ‘Peer Reviewed

Journals’

• ‘Document Type’ e.g. Book review, Bibliography, Article, Abstract etc.

• ‘Publication Type’ e.g. Book, periodical etc.

• ‘Language’ - Stick with English but if you can read Turkish, Persian or Arabic

• Image and format type(s) from ‘PDF’ to ‘cover story’ or ‘image quick view’

• Click ‘Search”

Result – Choose the right resource

Do not just look at the title

You can refine your search by reading the abstract, to ensure that the content is relevant

Once you are satisfied you can choose to download / export citation / save

Result page

List of result that shows the article

description, citation and format available

Result - download / export citation / save

Options to download / export citation / save

Tips to improve your results

Review the results and if: You have too many results, you narrow your search.

You have too few results, you widen your search.

You have found enough relevant sources, save the articles and citations to your laptop or memory stick

Some tips to remember when conducting searches: When searching SPELLING COUNTS – if you are getting no results,

but you think you should be, check your spelling

Search engines generally ignore capitalisation (Taiwan = taiwan)

Search engines generally ignore articles, such as the, an, and a.