"And" requires that all terms must be in your search results. It serves to narrow your search. Dogs and Cats--This means each result will be about both dogs and cats.

"Or" gets you MORE. Use it between similar terms. Dogs or Cats--This means each result will be about either dogs or cats (or possibly even about both dogs and cats).

Sample Library Catalog search:

For a quick tutorial go to the University of Wakaito library's web site--click on "Search Strategies" and then on "Keyword Search Tools."

New Info: Issues in K-12 Education:  Selections from CQ Researcher.  Los Angeles:  Sage, 1910.  Library is ordering the hardcover book:  link to record in Library Catalog.  Here is the link to the excerpts that are in Google Books.  Book contains articles in the "Reading Crisis" special issue of CQ Researcher (February 22, 2008).

LLBA - Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts --Includes abstracts (summaries) of items it indexes.  Coverage begins with 1973. Useful to limit to "English only" and "journal articles only." Indexes books, book chapters, dissertations as well as journal articles. Has an online thesaurus.

ERIC via CSA --the standard index for Education (very broadly defined). Coverage begins in 1966. It is a great source for linguistics. Indexes primarily journal articles and unpublished reports and presentations [ERIC Documents]. Has online thesaurus (get to from "Search Tools" tab). [Search "age groups" in thesaurus to find formal subject headings/descriptors for age groups.] Online links to many documents (ED) from 1992 on, before on microfiche. Use links for journals.

PsycINFO -goes back to 1887. Another good source with many references to "psycholinguistics" and to other linguistics topics. Useful to limit searches to "English only" and "journal articles only." Note that you can also limit to a particular age group from the search page. From the "Search Tools" tab you can get to the thesaurus (listing of subject terms/descriptors). Indexes articles, books, chapters in books, and dissertations.

JSTOR --Online collection of many scholarly journals from volume 1 until 2 to 5 years ago (and now with some current articles). Full text of articles is searchable! Problem: JSTOR does not use subject headings. If you get too many results searching your terms in "full-text" try restricting them to "article title."  Remember that not all important education/linguistics journals are in JSTOR.

Academic OneFile --This database indexes journals, magazines, and newspapers in a wide variety of disciplines and thus might uncover articles with viewpoints beyond education and linguistics.  Try the "Browse Subjects" tab, type in reading, and then look at the "related subjects."

Journals from the International Reading Association--
Reading Online--look at the subject index.
Reading Teacher
Reading Research Quarterly
Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy

Dominique Daniel
Humanities Librarian for History and Modern Languages
daniel@oakland.edu
248.370.2478