Pingree Super Search Tips

Pingree Super Search is our search tool for our collection of Academic Databases.

Academic Databases, such as EBSCO, JSTOR, and Gale, are organized and searchable online platforms that provide access to journals, articles, ebooks, primary sources, and data sets. Authority/credentials are guaranteed. Most articles are scholarly and peer-reviewed.

Below are some tips to using Pingree Super Search most effectively.

Saving Resources from Pingree Super Search

When you find an article or resource in the Pingree Super Search that you want to use for your research, you'll want to save it! There are several ways to do so. Stay organized so you can be an efficient researcher. Always ensure you can find a way back to your resources.

Option 1: Save a Link from EBSCO

Note this is not the same thing as copying the URL.

Option 2: Create a Project in the Pingree Super Search.

Option 3: Download a PDF

Keep your resources organized in a Google Folder.

Keywords

Use keywords rather than sentences or questions.
Brainstorm synonyms, broader & narrower terms
Consider context: A search for "Civil War & PTSD" won't get good results because the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder didn't become a mental health diagnosis until 1980.

Phrase Search

Use quotation marks search for a phrase together:
“Women’s Rights Movement”
“Food Insecurity”
Experiment searching with and without quotation marks

Truncation

By using Truncation, you can broaden your search to include various word endings and spellings. Enter the root of a word and put the truncation symbol (*) at the end.

For example:

child* = child, childs, children, childrens, childhood

genetic* = genetic, genetics, genetically

Source: MIT Libraries

Boolean Operators

Citations:

Citations are provided by clicking on the " at the top of the article.

Select the citation style depending on the class's requirements, and then copy to clipboard and paste into your document.

Always make sure to double check that the citation is correct. OWL Purdue is a great resource to verify your citations are correct.

Narrowing Down Results

Use Filters:

After searching your topic, you can apply the filters to aid your search
There is a drop-down menu for source type, where you can select whether you want a primary source or a magazine, etc.
There is a time drop-down menu as well for dates of publication for sources
You can select or deselect “Peer Reviewed” depending on the requirements of your teacher

Source Overview:

Without having to read the source, you can view the source subjects to see all the major subjects of a source
This may prove your source to be more or less helpful

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Only summary / abstract is available → Email citation to Ms. Fame
Access - for some databases you need to be on campus & logged in to your Pingree Google Account

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