Literature Search Tips

Do you need up-to-the-minute updates on specific research literature? Here are a few tips to make your searches easier and more productive:

When using literature databases, try a variety of search terms. Some useful search terms include: social norms, social norms marketing, college, university, adolescent, student, alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, substance abuse, sexual behavior, survey, intervention.
Familiarize yourself with the features of literature databases, such as combining search terms, or specifying limits, (e.g., range of publication years or type of article).
Create a Google Scholar alert, to have new scholarly titles emailed to you several times a week.
Create an RSS (Rich Site Summary; or Really Simple Syndication) feed from literature databases like Pub Med, Web of Science, or PsycINFO. Alerts and RSS feeds can include topics, authors, and publications that cite specific articles. Conference presentations often feature yet-unpublished research. See what’s coming up next by attending conferences in your field, or checking out their online programs.
Ask a reference librarian in your institution or community library for additional help finding and organizing your literature.
Find a recent article on your topic, and use its reference list to find additional articles.
Some of the journals most likely to include articles relevant to social norms, substance abuse and college health include: