Access to electronic resources is authenticated when on campus
Remote access requires use of your WVU Login which is your username and your password
If you have forgotten your WVU Login please click HERE.
Searching with keywords instead of phrases and connecting them with Boolean operators get you more targeted search results.
Using Boolean Operators
Boolean operators “AND”, “OR”, and “NOT” define relationships between words. How do they work?
“AND” – searches all of your search terms. Example: poverty and population and income. Records will contain all these terms. Fewer records are retrieved, but more precise.
“OR” – either or both terms are retrieved. Example: mouse OR rat. More records are retrieved, but less precise.
“NOT” – when used it excludes or ignores words from the search. Example: dementia NOT Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is excluded from the search results. Using “NOT” can be tricky. You may eliminate a word associated with your topic that may provide additional information. This search helps to narrow your results, but is very restrictive.
Let's discuss the difference between Internet sites and electronic journal articles or e-books.
Sometimes your instructor will limit how many Internet pages you can use as resources. Articles or ebooks accessed through the library's databases DO NOT count as Internet sources. Library resources are accessed through the Internet, but think of them as being shelved in a virtual electronic library. Your tuition helps pay for these resources, and they are not available outside of our subscription. So, if you get two articles from the ProQuest database and one from Yahoo News, you have 2 library resources and 1 Internet source.