Graduate Student Academic Writing Guide

You can search for information using the library's databases. For a quick, easy search of most of the library's databases, you can use the OneSearch bar on the library's home page. For information on how to use OneSearch, see the video in the "Video: Using OneSearch" tab of this box.

You can also do a more targeted search in a database specific to your topic by selecting the databases page from the left side of the menu on the library's website.

• If you know the name of the database you want to search, you can use the database "by name" option to select the database. This is the default option on the page;
• To limit the database list to databases recommended for a specific topic, select the "by majors" tab;
• You can also select databases "by type" to see databases offering a specific type of material (such as ebook, newspaper, reference).

Many of the library's databases are from a company called EBSCO. See the video in the "Video: Using EBSCO Advanced Search" tab of this box for information on how to search EBSCO databases.

Use the Library's Journals  page to

• search for a journal title to see whether you can access the journal from the library (and what years of the journal's publication you can use) -- type the journal title in the search box and click the search button
• see a list of all available e-journals in a subject area. 

If you have a full citation for an article, you can use Journal Finder to find it through the library by typing the journal title in the search box and then searching for the article or looking for the specific issue:

• Search for Title: On the results page, there will be a search box below the journal title that will let you "search within publication." If you have an article title you are looking for in the journal, you can put it in that search box.
   
• Search by Citation:
  • On the results page, you will see the words "full text access" with one or more database links below the search box. Each database gives the years of coverage the library provides for that journal.
  • You can click on the link of a database which includes the year of the article you are looking for to drill down by year / volume / issue to find an article using the citation.

For information on how to use the Library's journals page, see the video in the "Video: Searching for Journals at the Library" tab of this box.

Another way you can find articles in the library's databases is through Google Scholar. To customize Google Scholar, find Franklin University in the settings by searching in the Library Links area. You can also add OhioLINK to your preferences. You will still need to log in to access e-books and databases when off-campus. For more information, see the video below or our Google Scholar research guide.

Please Note: When accessing our databases, you may be prompted to login using your myFranklin login information.