Science & Social Science Research
Locating science and social science analysis and data is the focus of this guide.
Access Icon Key
| These linked icons indicate your access to the resources discussed in this guide. | |
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Library Collection |
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Website |
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Subscription Database (Law School Only) |
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Subscription Database (University-wide) |
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Bloomberg Law (Password Required) |
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Lexis (Password Required) |
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Westlaw (Password Required) |
Quick Tips
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Science-Social Science databases are "bibliographic" not "full text" databases.Content that is being searched includes article title, author, journal title, volume/issue of the journal where the article appears, beginning/ending pages of article, date of the journal issue, abstract of the article (sometimes) links to full text (sometimes), topic/subject links.
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Online catalogs also are a kind of "bibliographic" database.Content that is being searched includes titles of books, treatises, government documents and other research material; authors, publishers, date of publication, tables of contents (if available), subject links and links to full text (if available).
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Use " " for phrase searchingExample: "small modular reactors"
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Not all databases have spellcheck
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Databases are not case sensitiveProper names (authors, phrases, etc.) can be typed in a search box without capitalization.
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Type connectors (AND, OR, NOT) in ALLCAPS
Too Few Search Results
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Double-check the spelling of keyword(s)
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Truncate keyword(s) to broaden resultsUse an asterisk (*) at the end of keyword(s) to retrieve variations of a word.
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Use synonym(s) or alternative keyword(s)
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Repeat the search in multiple databases
Too Many Search Results
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Add keyword(s) to your search
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Peruse search results; click on a relevant article; use "subject" links found in a citation record to further limit a search
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Use "Limits"The default is usually to run a search "in all fields." From drop-down menus on a search screen, it is often possible to narrow a search by selecting "title," "abstract," or "subject." Not all citations in a database will include an abstract.
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Select a subject specific, rather than a multidisciplinary database
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Use "Advanced Search""Advanced Search" will often provide ways to refine a search, enabling you to limit by date, type of material (books, journal articles), language, etc. before running a search.
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View search results by date, most recent firstThe default setting for displaying search results is usually "relevance." Citations containing most/all search terms are displayed first. Selecting from a drop-down menu, it is easy to change this setting so that most recently published articles are displayed first.
Find Keywords
Keyword(s) are significant or descriptive word(s) or phrase(s) expressing the topic you plan to research.
Examples: swine; "genetically engineered crops"; "modular reactors"
Search for discussions of your topic in government documents, scholarly, peer-reviewed journals or reliable, accurate news sources; compile a list of descriptive words, synonyms and acronyms.
Suggested starting points:
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Google Advanced Search
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Google Scholar Advanced SearchGoogle Scholar indexes scholarly publications in a variety of fields. To get links from Google Scholar to GW Libraries full text, even when off campus, go to Google Scholar > Settings > Library Links > type "george washington" in the search box, click on all results and "Save."
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Relevant journal article(s)Locate a relevant journal article; skim the abstract, if available, the author's subject tags or topics, article footnotes and/or bibliography included at the end of the article.
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USA.govA search engine, powered by Bing, that searches federal and state .gov, .mil and .edu government websites.
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WikipediaA free encyclopedia written by volunteer editors and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization.
Use Connectors
Connectors are words or symbols that establish relationships between keywords in a search.
In bibliographic databases, there are usually two search options: "basic" and "advanced":
- "Basic" search provides a search box where keyword(s) or phrases and connectors (typed in ALLCAPS) may be entered.
- "Advanced" search provides a template with selection options provided for connectors and boxes available for typing keyword(s) or phrases.
Connectors for searching bibliographic databases & online catalogs:
- AND = All keywords must appear somewhere in a bibliographic record (title, abstract (if available), or subject terms)
- OR = At least one of the keywords must appear somewhere in a bibliographic record (title, abstract (if available) or subject terms).
- NOT = A bibliographic record containing a keyword will not appear in search results.
- Example: regulat* AND microgrid*
When searching full text databases, it is recommended that for more effective searching, a different set of connectors be used:
Connectors for searching full text:
- /s = Keywords appear in the same sentence in any order
- /p = Keywords appear in the same paragraph in any order
- /n = Keywords appear in any order within a specified number of words of each other
- Examples:
- glider /s emissions
- glider /p emissions
- glider /10 emissions
Truncation
Truncation refers to the act or process of shortening or reducing.
When constructing a search, symbols can be attached to the end of keywords (truncating a word) to retrieve different forms of a word.
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Many non-legal databases use an asterisk (*) at the end of a word to retrieve different forms of a word; some databases use a question mark (?)Example: frack* = frack, fracking
Example: frack? = frack, fracking -
Not all bibliographic databases automatically retrieve plural forms of a wordExample: glider vehicle*
Note: Bloomberg Law, Lexis Advance & Westlaw will retrieve plural forms of a word. -
In full text databases, such as Bloomberg Law, Lexis Advance & Westlaw, the exclamation point (!) is used to retrieve different forms of a word.Example: frack! = frack, fracking
Example: inspect! = inspects, inspected, inspection, inspections