Topic: Using the Research Port to conduct
online searches. This tutorial includes complete
information. Look for the #
symbol & this color font to highlight what steps to take.
Step 1: Log
in.
# Head to
the Research Port web site: http://researchport.umd.edu
and then enter your 14 digit barcode from your ID and your last
name. (If you are accessing the site from on-campus or
through a
campus port, then you can just hit the START button but you will be
missing out on some storage features that will be mentioned below.)
Step 2:
Access the system.
You will now see a screen asking you to select
databases. You can
(a) select a
category of databases, which in this context would be
Psychology/Sociology
(b) type in the database.
Access
this way by clicking on the "by Database Name" near the top.
Here you
just need to type in the first letter or first few letters.
For most
Psychology searches, you will use PsycINFO. You can just type Psy.
(c) conduct your search via the QUICK SEARCH tab [upper left] with
pre-selected sites.
These
sites will work for many topics but will not suffice for most
psychology papers
or research.
(d) access e-journals, which are online journals, via the E-JOURNAL tab
[upper center]
This option is good if you are looking for a particular article from a
known
e-journal.
Otherwise, you can get to these topics by searching via databases, as
explained below.
(e) conduct a Cross Search or sign in to My Research Port using that
tab [upper center].
Use these options after you have gone through this tutorial.
# I
recommend doing option (a) because it will give you
access to the most databases. Scroll down and select
Psychology/Sociology Subject Category. A list pops up in the
"subcategory" box. Click on "All Sources" subcategory so that it
is highlighted and
then hit the GO button.*
*Note: If you do not highlight the "All Sources" subcategory and
just hit GO, you won't see PsycINFO listed.
Step 3:
Select database(s).
You are now at a page where psychology-related
databases are listed (although not all of them are for
psychology). The databases you will use the most are:
PsycINFO
Academic Search Premier
Wilson Select Plus
PsycARTICLES (no access for Frostburg students)
Next to each database are 1 - 3 symbols.
 
a) Click on the "i" symbol in order
to get more
information about the database.
b) Click on the "plus" symbol
to add the database for your search. Once you do,
a small arrow 
will show up under the symbol. You may select more than one
database - this is how you can conduct a
"cross search" (see below).
c) Click on to conduct a search in
Research Port using that database only.
At this point, you can do a couple of things:
(a) You can click on the name of the database PsycINFO (or any
other database) and be sent to to EBSCO Host to conduct your
search. EBSCO Host has a lot of interesting features, as does
Research Port. If
you decide to use EBSCO, then head over to this
tutorial
for the remainder of your search.
(b) You can click on the next to PsycINFO (or any
other database) and conduct your search using Research Port. Ask
your professor but I'm guessing that most psychology majors will be
doing this step. Once you click on that symbol, go to Step 4.
(c) You can
click on the symbol to add several databases
(such as the ones listed above) for a broader search. If you need
to get many articles, if your topic is obscure, and/or if you want to
access more full-text articles then use this step.
However, if you decide to
include Academic Search Premiere and other databases, know that some of
the sources might not be good enough for your classes. Therefore,
do this step if it is for an independent study and/or you know what is
and what isn't a good journal source (when in doubt, conduct a search
in PsychINFO first, and then see if you can find the article as
full-text using other databases).
# I recommend
doing step (c). Click on the symbol for the
PsycINFO, Academic Search Premier, & Wilson Select Plus
databases. Next, click on Cross Search either in the tab in the center
of the screen at the top or at the top of the main table where it
reads: Search many databases at once with Cross Search . A new screen will pop
up where your databases will be listed in a box. Make sure each
database is checked. (If you want to only use 1 or 2 databases,
then just have them checked.) Head to step 4.
Step 4:
Conduct your search.
Now you are ready to conduct your
search. For general information on how to conduct
successful searches, click on this Cyberlab
tutorial. Minimally, you want to enter key words into the
part of the screen that reads: Search
for and
then hit the 
button.
The default setting searches your key words
in all fields of the reference (title, author, abstract, journal title,
etc.). This option gives you the broadest possible search.
# To narrow down your search, I
recommend clicking on the ADVANCED tab and doing TITLE searches
(again, see this Cyberlab
tutorial for specific information on doing quality searches).
Step 5:
Working with your search results.
Depending on your internet connection, your results
will pop up immediately or after a few seconds. A list of
references will be placed in tabular form that includes author, title,
and database. Click* on
the title of the article to read the abstract and other pertinent
information. If the article is available as FULL TEXT,
then you will see  . Rejoice and click on
that button to launch SFX. You may be
prompted to enter the
publication information or it will be entered for you. Once
entered, click on the link (that will list where the article is coming
from, and there may be more than one location) and the full-text
article will
be displayed.
*Tip: Right-click and open up the
information in a new window. This step makes it easier for you to go
back to your full list of references without having to wait for your
browser to reload. (If you have an old, slow computer, opening up
several browsers may cause it to freeze.)
If you don't see the "full text" button, click on  and then you can find
out if any library
within the University System of Maryland has this holding. If it
is available, you will see a link indicating the item is available via
a hard-copy journal in your school's library [Item available via Catalog]. Click
on the link
to get more information as to the journal's exact location in the
library. Also, check to make sure your school has the particular
volume and issue you are seeking.
If you do not see a link, you will get the
message that there is no holding available. You can then order
the article/book by clicking on the
link that reads Request document
via
Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Luckily,
the journal reference information carries over when you click on this
button. All you need to do is fill in your information.
Note: The form will also prompt you to double check that the
journal is not in your
school's library prior to doing the ILL request. Most of the
time, SFX has reported accurately that the journal is not available;
however, it is possible that it might miss an available journal.
Although it takes a little
time to double check, here is what you can do to avoid overburdening
the ILL office of your school's library:
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Click on Holdings in
catalogUSMAI
and see if and where it is
available. Unfortunately, this launches you to the general
catalogUSMAI site and does not
appear to transfer any of your journal
information. So, you will need to do the following to see if your
school has this journal:
a) once on catalogUSMAI, click on
JOURNALS in the top left part
of the screen. Then type in the first few words (or all words) of
your
journal title and click on SEARCH. If it is there, it will be
listed
along with other journals that are similar in title. If it is not
listed, see below for making a request for an ILL to have the article
sent to you.
b) click on the title of
your journal and you will see a screen that verifies it is a journal
and not a book: record format
Journals/Newspapers/Magazines You will also see
where the journal is located in the full USM system. Visit your
local library to retrieve the article. |
Step 6:
More storage tips.
When you are on the screen that lists all of
your search results, you can place check marks next to relevant
items. You can then email  these searches or save  them to your computer. You can also 
which will allow you to create folders of certain
research topics and save searches in them. To access these
folders, click on the MY RESEARCH PORT tab in the upper center.
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