Use OneSearch to find books, articles, and more -- all in a single search! For example, a basic keyword search on "Lake Erie" retrieves over 250,000 items!

Remember to use the operator AND to combine your search terms and to narrow your results. For example, a search on "Lake Erie" AND algae in OneSearch retrieves over 14,000 results.

Use the limits in OneSearch to narrow your results. You can limit results to Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals. You can limit results by Publication Date. You can limit by Source Type, for example, to see Books, eBooks, Academic Journals, Magazines, or News.

Off-campus access to research databases is restricted to current CSU faculty, staff, and students.

To access research databases from off-campus, you will have to authenticate first -- select Cleveland State University, and then enter your Name, CSU ID No., and Library PIN. If you don't have a Library PIN yet, then you can create one on the My Account page.

-Many articles are available full text online in HTML or PDF format in the Research Databases. Look for buttons and/or links that say Access Options, Available Online, PDF Full Text, Get PDF, or something similar.

-If an article is NOT available full text from the database you are searching, then check Journal Finder. Use Journal Finder to determine if the Michael Schwartz Library provides full text access (either online or in print) to the TITLES of specific journals, magazines, or newspapers.

-Search for the article title in Google Scholar. Make sure Google Scholar is connected to Cleveland State University and Open WorldCat. Go to Settings--Library Links.

-If the article is not available in any of the sources mentioned above, then request it through Interlibrary Loan.

Articles are published in periodicals -- JOURNALS, MAGAZINES, and NEWSPAPERS. To find articles on a topic, search the Michael Schwartz Library's Research Databases.

The databases are listed in Alphabetical Order by Title and grouped by Subject Category on the Library's website. The Library also provides access to several Newspaper Research Databases.

Research Databases contain citations and summaries of articles published in various journals, magazines, and newspapers. Research Databases also contain the full text of many articles, either in HTML or PDF format. The Library pays to provide access to these Research Databases -- they are not free!

For academic research, you should include articles from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. These journals are sometimes called refereed journals. In the peer review process, an article is reviewed by other experts in the same discipline before it is published in a scholarly journal. Most Research Databases will allow you to limit your results to peer-reviewed journals when searching.

Start with some of the Research Databases listed below to locate articles on a topic.

Make sure to search Academic Search Complete, Environment Complete, and GreenFILE! These databases are especially useful for topics related to natural history. Search databases in various Subject Categories, like Environmental Studies and Geology.