Communication & Media

MackSearch

Think of MackSearch like Google, but created specifically for McQuade- easy searching but with more credible results. MackSearch does a combination search of the NOBLE Catalog as well as most of our databases, so typically you'll get a lot a results back. This can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, but fortunately, you have several options to refine and limit your results list to find exactly what you're looking for. In MackSearch you'll find books, e-books, journal articles, streaming media, news briefs, and more.

Finding Peer-Reviewd Articles in MackSearch

1. Enter the keywords (the main points of the research) into the search boxes 
2. After the initial search, you'll want to use the limiters on the left-hand side 
3. Select "Full-Text" and "Peer-Reviewed."
4. Set the date range- usually looking at the last 10 years is a good starting point 
5. Select "Academic Journals"
6. Take a look at your results list. Click on titles that stand out to you and read the abstract. If the article seems promising, consider reading the full text (which will be linked in the left-hand side of the record page).

• If your not finding articles that support your research, try changing up the keywords by thinking of synonyms or alternate terms, as well as different aspects of your topic. Depending on what keywords you use, you'll get different results back.

Finding News Articles in MACKsearch

1. Enter the keywords (the main points of the research) into the search boxes 
2. After the initial search, you'll want to use the limiters on the left-hand side 
3. Select "Full-Text" 
4. Set the date range- usually looking at the last 10 years is a good starting point 
5. Select "News"
6. Take a look at your results list. Click on titles that stand out to you and read the abstract. If the article seems promising, consider reading the full text (which will be linked in the left-hand side of the record page).

• If your not finding articles that support your research, try changing up the keywords by thinking of synonyms or alternate terms, as well as different aspects of your topic. Depending on what keywords you use, you'll get different results back.

Additional Information About MACKsearch:

• When you click on a title from your results list, you'll be brought to the record page. Here you find all of the bibliographic information needed for the citation, as well as an abstract (summary) that can help you determine if you'd like to pursue the full text. 
• PDF of the full-text is linked on the left-hand side of the record page
• To print an article, save it to Google drive, or to email the article, go to the Tools on the right-hand side of the record page. 
• Citations can also be found in the Tools on the right-hand side of the record page.

If you search the databases and find books or articles that you want that the library does not have access to, you can request them using interlibrary loan (ILL). It may take a day or several days for the materials to arrive, so please plan accordingly.

Use this ILL FORM to request books and articles. Library staff will contact you when the materials arrive and you can pick them up at the Circulation Help Desk (1st floor of McQuade) free of charge. If you  requested an article, library staff will send it to you via e-mail.

For the complete list of Databases, check out the A - Z List 
Off-campus access help.