Expanded Academic
What is Expanded Academic?
Expanded Academic is a journal index which provides multidisciplinary subject coverage, including the arts and humanities, social sciences, science and technology. The articles are published in peer-reviewed journals, magazines and newspapers. Many are available in full-text.
Much of this handout also applies to searching the Gale Virtual Reference Library which can be cross-searched with Expanded Academic. The Gale Virtual Reference Library is a selection of substantial encyclopaedias and other electronic reference books on specific topic areas of relevance to all Faculties.
Getting started
- Expanded Academic is available from the University Library page. Use your Web browser to go to <http://www.une.edu.au/library> and click the Resources tab at the top of the screen
- Choose Expanded Academic from the Quick Links on the left hand side of the screen.
- Enter your UNE username and password if prompted. At the Infotrac screen, click on Proceed.
- To accept the default search of both Expanded Academic and Gale Virtual Reference Library click on Submit. To search only Expanded Academic database click on the link Expanded Academic ASAP.
Search Strategies
There are four types of searches you can use. Look on the blue toolbar near the top for Basic Search, Subject Guide Search, Publication Search, and Advanced Search. The Advanced Search is recommended as a starting point for searches on a topic.
Basic Search
- A Basic Search on keywords will look for your words occurring within a few words of each other. You can also combine two or more concepts by using the Boolean operators AND, OR or NOT. Some examples are Robinson AND birds, soil erosion AND Australia, work OR employment.
- Results are listed newest to oldest. You may Sort by: Relevance if you prefer.
Subject Guide Search
- The Subject Guide Search allows you to search for index topics that contain the word(s) you enter in your search expression. Expanded Academic uses Library of Congress subject headings (as does the UNE Library Catalogue), including personal, geographic or corporate names. Examples are:
global warming
Einstein, Albert
Sydney Dance Company.
Advanced Search
- The Advanced Search gives you more control over your search results. You can search in specific fields such as author, publication title, document title, subject or keyword by choosing from the dropdown boxes.
- Use the AND, OR, NOT dropdown boxes to combine your searches using Boolean operators.
- Use of quotation marks will retrieve an exact phrase.
Publication Search
- Use Publication Search to find a journal or other periodical by title.
- Click on the title of the journal you want to see a list of issues available.
- Click on the link for the issue you want and you will receive a listing of the available articles.
Limiting Your Search Results
- You can modify your search strategy if you click on Previous searches, then Revise next to the search you have just performed.
- The most useful limits are:
- limiting your search to documents with full text by clicking in the first box.
- clicking the box beside to peer-reviewed publications, to limit to articles in scholarly publications, where work is assessed by experts before it is published.
- specifying publication date(s) (eg. 2003 - 2005) or publication title.
- Use * for truncation. swim* will find swims, swimming, swimmer, swimmers and so on.
- Try ? when you want to use one letter as a wildcard. defen?e will find defence and defense.
- You can also use the Narrow results function offered to the left of the results display. This permits you to limit your results by subject, by type of publication or by the publication containing the articles.
Search History
You can return to searches you have done by clicking on Previous Searches at the top of the screen. Return to a previous search by clicking on the link.Marking and viewing records
Expanded Academic displays the results of your search in a list of brief citations. Results will be separated into five types of information, shown as tabs at the top of your search results: Academic Journals, Magazines, Books, News and Multimedia. The first group of results displayed are Academic Journals. To view the other information you will need to click on the different tabs at the top of the screen.
The Books tab will be greyed out if you did not choose to cross-search with Gale Virtual Reference Library at the beginning of your session.
- If you wish to make your own list of citations for later viewing, printing, saving or emailing, click on the Mark check box next to each citation. Click on Marked Items folder above the blue toolbar at the top of the screen to see your marked list of citations.
- To see a record, click on the PDF icon underneath the reference if it is offered. This shows the article as it was originally published (the best format to use for your references) and requires the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader software. If PDF is not offered, look for other full-text options.
button to see if it is accessible elsewhere.
Printing, e-mailing, saving
You can deal with your results one by one or by using your marked list.
- To print, save or email a PDF you are viewing, click on the Adobe Acrobat icon.
- To print a plain text article you are viewing, click on Print preview in the Tools box to the right of the article citation. This will reformat the article for printing. Click on File>Print in your browser window if a printer option is not automatically launched.. You may also E-mail or Download the article.
- To save an article, click on the Download link, choose HTML as your format if viewing as a web page and click Download, providing a name and location where you would like to save the article, such as the a: drive for a floppy disk.
Help
- Click on Help above the blue toolbar near the top right of the screen.
- To find out the general principles of using journal indexes, try eSKILLS UNE at <http//:www.une.edu.au/library/eskillsune/finding/retrieving/finding.php>.
Logging out
- Click on Logout at the top right of the screen.