GCU Library Skills

This section will lay the foundation for conducting research using the GCU Library.

Learning Objectives

• To become familiar with the GCU Library resources available
• Understand the basic and advanced level of research
• To know how to contact the GCU Library

Library Resources

LopeSearch - Located on the Find Journal Articles page, this search tool allows you to search many databases across many subjects with one search. Note that LopeSearch is not always the best option for research in some disciplines and topics.  For disciplines that use certain controlled vocabulary and categories of search terms, a subject specific database may be a better option.

Databases - The GCU Library has hundreds of databases with access to tens of thousands of full text journals and the articles within. Each database has search features that help focus your results. Some databases are focused on a single subject or field, and some collect journals across a broad range of subjects. Below the LopeSearch on the Find Journal Articles page you can select a subject under "Browse by Subject" and review the recommended databases to search. While knowing how to use LopeSearch is a must, being aware of the specialized databases can increase your search results. To learn how to use these databases to their fullest, see the Advanced Searching section.

LopeCat - The GCU Library has hundreds of thousands of books and thousands of videos, with the majority of them as ebooks and streaming videos you can access online. Click on "Find Books & More" from the GCU Library homepage and enter a title or search terms in the box and click search. To narrow your results to ebooks, click on "Online Book" under Format, located on the left side. After selecting a title, click on the "Click here to access now from" link. Enter your GCU username and password and begin reading the pages. For print books, you can come to the 4^th floor of the Student Union where the books are located and select or pick up books. If you are not in the Phoenix area, we can mail the books to you as well.

RefWorks - Clicking on RefWorks & EndNote from the homepage will take you to a guide with links to create an account to track your citations from all the various places you may gather them from. RefWorks is a great tool to take citations directly from the databases or the Internet and keeping them all in one place. There is the option to display a citation in a variety of formats, including the latest edition of APA. There is also the ability to create bibliographies, depending on what your needs are. To learn about RefWorks, click on the RefWorks section of this website, access the guide, or attend the webinar.

Research Guides -Curated guides are available 24/7 on all major subjects and programs taught at GCU, as well as general information literacy guides. Explore the guides by subject from their homepage. For more on all the GCU Library has to offer, visit Introduction to the GCU Library: Library Tour

InterLibrary Loan (ILL) - For long term research, it is best to uncheck the full text box from within the databases. Most GCU Library databases are set to automatically limit your results to full text. Turning this limiter off will expand your results. You can then use InterLibrary Loan to request items that the GCU Library does not own. You can also use ILL when you locate an item outside the GCU Library (Google Scholar or another search) that we do not own. In order to get access to articles not available in full text, access the Tipasa system and request the articles you need. On average, articles take a few days while books take several weeks to be fulfilled. Books may need to be provided as print books, which you can pick up at the GCU Library or receive in the mail.

Basic Research Skills

Think concepts, not sentences - Databases can search titles, authors, keywords, subject headings, abstracts and many more fields that have been created. The databases look for exact word matches so typing in a sentence will not bring back a high number of results, if any. Instead, break down your sentence or thesis statement into the major components.

Example topic: Using libraries will allow students to get higher grades
 Example concepts: library use, library usage, students, success, grades

Combining concepts- Think of synonyms of concepts and put them in one search box, connecting them with OR. Brainstorm synonyms for your keywords. 

Example: college OR university OR higher education

Truncation/wildcard symbol - To efficiently search the databases and to not have to think of every ending to a word, using the truncation or wildcard symbol will do this task for you. In ProQuest and EBSCO databases, shift+8 * is the truncation symbol. The symbol is put at the end of the root word.

Example: educat* = educate, education, educating, educator, educates

It can also be used in the middle of a word.

Example: wom*n = woman, women

Publication date- This option is great when looking for current articles or from a specific time period. Under the search boxes on the ProQuest and EBSCO search pages is a publication date box. Enter the years that are of interest and click search. This can also be done after the search has been run. Look to the margins for these options.

For more on research skills, visit Introduction to the GCU Library: Search Skills 

Advanced Research Skills

Databases have many options to limit the results. Knowing what type of article you are looking for will lead you to using these. Here are just a few of the many special features different databases have:

CINAHL Headings- In the CINAHL Complete database, the CINAHL Headings allow researchers to search for the medical or proper term that is often used in literature instead of layman's terms. This can also assist when researching medications. This feature is located above the search boxes.

Example: heart attack

Results: Heart Attack Use: Myocardial Infarction

Example: aspirin

Results: Anti-inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal

Document type- If you are looking for a research article, book review, case study, conference proceedings, or more, look for the Document Type box on the main search page.

Publication- Are you interested in a particular journal title and want to search within? Both ProQuest and EBSCO databases allow you to locate a specific publication. To locate this feature, look above the search boxes for the heading Publications.

Methodology- In PsycINFO, there is the option to limit your results by methodology. This can help when looking for empirical study, literature review, treatment outcome/clinical trial, and much more. This is located on the right side of the page, under the search boxes.

Publication or Source type- Many databases allow you to search by publication type. You can limit by newspaper, book, dissertation, academic journals, trade journals, health report and more. 

For more on advanced search techniques, explore the Doctoral Research guide for your research type.

Tutorials & Webinars

The GCU Library offers webinars and tutorials on a regular basis. Webinars are given live by a GCU Librarian so you can ask questions while watching a demonstration of research techniques. Current offerings can be found on the Tutorials page of the GCU Library's website.

Contacting the GCU Library

GCU Library staff are dedicated to assisting students, staff, and faculty with their research needs. Let them guide you to the best resources available, whether in the GCU Library's collections or on the internet.

Librarians are available to help by phone, email, chat, videoconference, and in person at the GCU Library on the Phoenix campus. For current hours and contact information, visit the GCU Library's Contact Us page.