Searching in APPsearch
APPsearch includes books, streaming media, and indexes over 50 databases. The databases indexed cover a wide variety of disciplines and include articles (journals, magazines, newspapers), reports, documents, and more.
The below strategies can be used in APPsearch or any discipline-specific database. Databases - browse by subject.
Basic Search
Background Information:
Search APPsearch, using a Basic Search, to find background information about your group in a book or an article.
- Try combining your group's name with terms like: experience, history, background
- Use " " around phrases. "Chinese Americans" "high school" "higher education"
- Searching is iterative. Try terms, read results, learn new terminology, tweak search, repeat.
Use the Limits to refine results to a specific time period, type of resource (books, magazines, journals) and more.
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Representation in media:
You can start with a Basic Search to find material discussing the representation of your group in media.
- Include the concepts/keywords in your search. Not a sentence ► How are Chinese Americans depicted in the media.
- Use Limits to refine the results to Peer-reviewed or scholarly materials.
- Will all resources describing this topic use the exact words you are using? No.
- Try an Advanced Search which allows you to use synonyms for your key concepts. This broadens your search.

Advanced Search
Search APPsearch, using an Advanced Search, to identify scholarly works.
- Each concept has a separate search field.
- Use or to separate all synonyms.
- Use " " around real phrases. "community college" "media center" "public library"
- Use * to allow for variable endings. represent* = represent, represents, representing, representation
Use the Limit for Peer-reviewed to refine the results to only peer-reviewed/scholarly resources. Remember the date Limit too.

