How to Use ProQuest ®

Table of contents:

Logging On

Selecting Databases

When logging on to the ProQuest system, the default option is to search all the general databases (collections) simultaneously. However, if a database is accessed directly from the Alphabetical list, only that database will be available initially.

To change or add databases, click on the Databases selected link directly beneath the ProQuest toolbar, and then select one or several databases by clicking in the checkbox preceding each one. CINAHL may only be searched alone. Click on Continue to begin searching. To limit to one database within a particular search, use the Database drop-down menu just below the search box.

Searching

The default search method is Basic Search. Type a word or phrase into the box, then click on Search. To add more searching options to the basic search screen, click on the More Search Options link near the bottom of the screen. To use a different search method, select Advanced Search or Publication Search from the menu bar.

To edit a search, go to the bottom of the Results screen and make changes before clicking Search.

To repeat a previous search, select Marked List from the menu bar and select the My Research Summary link. This menu will include a list of Recent Searches beneath the list of marked articles. Click on a search to return to it.

Techniques

Limits

To limit a search chronologically by the publication date in Basic and Advanced Search, select dates from the Date Range menu. When choosing a date option that requires typing in a date, use the format 1/31/1999 (mm/dd/yyyy) or Jan 1999 (mon yyyy).

To limit a search by database, select a database from the Database menu.

To limit a search to specific fields in Advanced Search, select a field from the menu next to each search box.

To limit a search to Full text articles, or to articles from scholarly journals (including peer-reviewed), check those boxes in the Limit Results to menu.

Displaying Search Results

Search Results

After doing a search, the Results display shows brief article listings with the newest articles first, in sets of 10 per display, with the search query beneath the listings. The articles are also grouped by type of article (Scholarly Journals, Magazines, Trade Publications and Newspapers). To select an article type (e.g., Newspapers), click on its tab in the Results display.

Article Display

The Article Display begins with the citation information and may include subject terms, SIC codes, an abstract (summary) and other descriptive information. Often the full text of an article is available. A copyright notice is included for all full text options.

To display a different article view, select from the choices above the article title on the right (Abstract, Full Text, Page Image/PDF, etc.)

To return to the list of results, click on the << Back to Results link below the menu bar.

Full Text

ProQuest databases provide the full text of some articles in select journals, magazines and newspapers as one of the following formats:

• Page Image — digital facsimile reproductions of each page in PDF
• Full Text — transcription of the text of an article into HTML
• Text+Graphics — transcription of the text which reinserts extracted graphics

The Find a copy icon indicates that the full text of the article is not available in the database being searched. After clicking the link, click the Find It button and use the links in the Find It menu to determine whether the article is available either online or in the Library.

Printing

Saving

E-mailing

To E-mail One or More Articles or Citations/Summaries
Click in the checkbox next to each desired article or citation in the Results display or when viewing an article or citation/abstract, check the Mark Article box. Then from the Marked Items menu, select E-mail marked articles. Select a radio button for type of format (Article summaries or Article full text or Page/Article image - PDF). Type a complete email address (e.g. bushgwj03@uww.edu) into the Email address box, add a subject line and message (optional) and click on the E-mail icon.

NOTE: Although multiple articles may be e-mailed at once, each article will actually be sent in a separate e-mail. If Page/Article image - PDF is chosen, those articles which do not have Page/Article image format will be sent in Article Summary format. If Article full text is chosen and an article is available only in PDF format, it will be sent as an attachment in PDF format. To ensure getting all articles in either Article full text or Page/Article  image - PDF format (if available), choose the Article full text radio button. However, by selecting one article at a time, you will have more flexibility in choosing a format.

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