This can be in the form of a question or a sentence. Just think about what you want to research and write it down in one sentence.
2. Identify the Keywords
Look at your research statement. What are the main words or concepts? They will likely be nouns, and can include phrases. Highlight them.
3. Think of synonyms
Look at the words/phrases you highlighted and think of synonyms or alternate phrases to describe those concepts. Scholarly articles often use words that we wouldn’t use in ordinary life.
4. Search in the databases
Pick two or three words/phrases from your list. Put each concept in its own search box.
5. Search again!
Try different combinations of words to get different results. Add more words to narrow down your results. Look at the “Subject” headings for each article to see what keywords are being used the most.
Education Full Text contains citations, abstracts, and full text articles from over 350 journals, with in depth coverage of special education. It also includes adult education, multicultural/ethnic education, teaching methods, and more.
Covers areas of curriculum instruction, administration, policy, funding, and related social issues. Topics cover all levels of education from early childhood to higher education and all educational specialties.
Topics covered include all levels of education from early childhood to higher education and all educational specialties, such as multilingual education, health education and testing. This database also includes full text for books, monographs and numerous education-related conference papers.
ERICThis link opens in a new windowAuthoritative database of indexed and full-text education literature and resources.
Includes records for a variety of source types, including journal articles, books, conference papers, curriculum guides, policy papers and also provides an education-specific thesaurus.
PsycINFOThis link opens in a new windowCentered on psychology and the behavioral and social sciences with coverage from the 17th century to the present, charting the evolution of psychology over time through peer-reviewed journals, books, and dissertations.
Multidisciplinary database offers full text for nearly 2,050 scholarly journals, including nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed titles covering virtually every area of academic study
How Can I Find Empirical Research Articles
ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)
Limit results to research articles by selecting Publication Type and entering Reports-research
Education Full Text
Limit your search to Peer-Reviewed journals by checking the appropriate box
CINAHL (Current Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
Limit results to research articles by selecting Research Article
Or underneath Publication Type, check research
PsychINFO
Limit results to research articles by selecting Publication Type and entering peer-reviewed journal
Or limit results to Methodology by selecting emprical study