POLS 464: Comparative Public Policy

Watch this video to learn how to navigate OneSearch to find materials available through the University Library.

1. If you have a Google account, make sure you're logged in.
2. At the top left, click on the three horizontal lines for more options.
3. Go to the bottom of the menu to the gear icon for Settings.
4. In the left column, choose Library Links.
5. Search for csun.
6. Check the box next to CSUN - CSU Northridge - Full Text at CSUN.
7. Click the blue Save button.
8. Search for a topic or article.
9. When you see a result you want, look to the right of the title for a Full Text at CSUN link to get the article directly through CSUN databases.

Setting this up once cuts back on the number of times you'll be routed to the publisher's website and asked to pay for an article, but it doesn't eliminate it.  Never pay for a scholarly article or book! If you find something you want via Google Scholar, paste the citation into OneSearch and check for it at all CSU libraries.  Even if no CSU has it, we can probably get it for you via Interlibrary Loan.

To get more results, broaden your search.

• * Use an asterisk to find articles using any of the variants of the same root word.
  • democrac* = democracy, democracies, democratic, etc
• Use fewer search terms. Look for words not unique to your topic that you could cut from your search string.
• OR Use OR to link synonyms, so you get articles where the authors used other terms to describe the same concept. 
  • (city OR urban OR municipal)
  • (environmental OR ecological)
• Use more inclusive search terms.
  • Bigger locations - too few results from senegal, try africa*
  • More general terms - too few results from literacy, try education
• Search as many possible sources at once by using CSU+ or Google Scholar.

To get fewer results, narrow your search.

• " " Use quotation marks to find exact phrases, when you need words next to each other in precise sequence to have the meaning you intend.
  • "social capital"
  • "civil war"
• Add more concepts to your search. Consider the who, what, when, where, why, and how.
• Use narrower, more specific concepts or aspects of your original topic.
  • global climate change => sea level rise
• Search fewer sources, one top journal at a time.