What is included?
What can you find in QuickSearch?
What is QuickSearch?
QuickSearch contains books, ebooks, journal and magazine articles, newspaper articles, some dissertations, government documents, and DVDs, among other things. QuickSearch searches across many different databases and is a great tool when searching on a broad topic for papers when you need a handful of sources. QuickSearch also conveniently displays results in a variety of formats.
QuickSearch Limitations
IMPORTANT: QuickSearch does NOT search every library database. Also, QuickSearch does NOT have the same search capabilities as going directly to a specific database.
Consider using QuickSearch as an complementary tool to cast a wide net to see what research may be at the forefront of the literature, or to make sure that you haven’t missed anything obvious. However, you may want to use several of the individual research databases to develop your initial search strategy (as outlined in the next section), including incorporating subject terms, zeroing in on specific publication types, such as research studies, and using the availability of multiple search fields to your advantage.
Where can I find QuickSearch?
QuickSearch is available on the library home page: http://library.ucf.edu
QuickSearch Tips
Tips for Searching QuickSearch
Getting started:
- To access QuickSearch, use the search box on the library home page: http://library.ucf.edu
- To access all of the full text, login from off-campus by entering your NID and NID password when prompted.
Searching:
- Use the asterisk to search for the variation of a word. Example: educat* will retrieve educate, educators and education
- If you type in a phrase and want the database to search for the words adjacent to each other, use quotation marks around the phrase, or click on Boolean/Phrase under Search Options.
Example: “health care reform”
- Never check the full text check box!! Use the “Full Text”
icon to find full text. Keep in mind that the library buys online access to thousands of journals. The Full Text icon links you to the full text if it is available in any of our other 300+ databases, not just the full text supplied by QuickSearch.
Results List
- Click “Add to Folder”
icon located to the right of each article title to add a record to the folder so that you can print, email, and save them. -
Make sure to ‘Sign In’ on the top right side of the screen each time you access QuickSearch or one of the other EBSCOhost databases to keep article records and searches in your folder after you leave. Click on ‘Create a New Account’ to set up an account so that you can view your folder contents in future sessions. - Click on Search History located under the search boxes to see all of the searches you’ve completed. You can also save your search strategy here.
- Click on the Folder icon
at the top of the screen to see all of the contents of your folder.
Individual Records
After clicking on an item to see the individual (Detailed) record, you will see icons that allow you to print, email, save, cite, or export a citation. The CITE icon displays how the article should be cited in various citation styles, including APA.- You should double-check the format very carefully to make sure it is correct. Most of the time it is NOT correct.
- You may email, print or save in QuickSearch using links on the right side of the pages.
- Click on the “Full Text” icon to see if the full text of the article is available online. The “Show Options/Request Item” links to Interlibrary Loan.
- If the library does not own the journal you need online, you can order an electronic copy of the article through Document Delivery & Resource Sharing, a free and fast service.
Need Assistance?
- Call for help! Don’t hesitate to contact Andy Todd, UCF Librarian if you have questions or need research assistance:
Phone, 321.433.7878
Email: Andrew.Todd@ucf.edu
- You can also seek help from the Ask a Librarian service. For hours of operation and phone numbers: http://library.ucf.edu/Ask. A toll free phone number is available.