SPORTDiscus Guide

Getting Started

Basic Search

Advanced Search

Visual Search

Viewing/ Printing

Getting Started

Locating SPORTDiscus on the Fogler Web Page
1. From the Fogler Library web page go to the link "Search in a Database" under the heading Articles on your topic.
2. Under the Databases A-Z list click on S.
3. Then click on the link for SPORTDiscus.

Connecting to SPORTDiscus from Guide
You can go directly to the site from this link to SPORTDiscus

Accessing SPORTDiscus Remotely
1. Enter your name and the number on the back of your Maine card to access SPORTDiscus from non-campus computers.

2. Your Maine card needs to be activated. If you have not checked out a book since the fall, you will need to have your Maine card activated at the circulation desk.

Basic Search

Basic Search is the default setting for SPORTDiscus. This is the single search box that searches all of the default fields.

Entering Your Search Terms
1. Your search terms are the words that must match part of the SPORTDiscus record. If you enter more than one term the database will search for the terms next to each other.
2. Use AND to look search for more than one term. You can search for a subject and an author. Example: history AND basketball

3. Use OR to search for synonyms. Matching records will contain either of your terms. Example: children OR adolescents
4. Use NOT to eliminate certain aspects of a term. Example: injuries NOT knee
5. Put ( ) around terms to make a complex search. Example (children OR adolescents) AND sports injuries
6. Use * to truncate words so that you can capture both the singular and the plural. Example: child*

Changing Search Options
The default search option can be changed. Click on Find all my search terms to AND between all terms. Click on Find any of my search terms to OR between all terms.

Setting Limits
You can place a number of limits on your search. When you place a limit on your search you will not see any records that do not match your limits

Narrow Results by Subject Thesaurus
You can narrow the results within your results by clicking on a term in the Subject: Thesaurus Term box on the left of the search results. Below are the subject terms returned, if you search by the keyword for knee injury .

Sorting Results
1. The default listing is by date

2. Results can also be listed by author, source, or relevance.

Advanced Search

To access Advanced Search click on the Advanced Search links that is beneath the basic search box.

Entering Your Search Terms

1. If you leave the setting for "Default Fields" your search terms are matched in the same way as a basic search. Unless you are know a specific field you wish to search, you should use the default fields.
2. Advanced Search has pull down menus for AND, OR and NOT.

Search History on Advanced Search
1. SPORTDiscus automatically makes a temporary file running your searches. This file will not remain if you close out of the database.
2. Click on the link Search History/Alerts to see your search history.
3. You can click on the link to see the results or revise a previous search

Visual Search

Visual Search allows you to search across broad subjects.

Enter Your Search Term
1. Click on the link for visual search beneath the basic or advanced search box.

2. Your results will come in a visual map organized by topics.

3 Click on the topics to see subtopics.

visual topics

4. The first three results for each topic, subtopic, etc are shown. To see the all of the results for a given column, place the mouse at the bottom of the column.

5. Click on the title to open a record for a citation.

6. Once you have clicked on a rectangle to bring up a document the record will appear on the right hand side of the screen.

article abstract

7. To print, email, or save the abstract, click on the link Add to Folder. Click on the More link at the bottom of the abstract to see full text.

Viewing/Printing

Opening Full Text Documents
	This link opens pdf journal articles. The articles have the same format as print journals.
	This link opens html journal articles. These articles have been recoded using html and do not have the same format as the print journal.
	This button implements a process that connects the database to the journals in URSUS. This will connect to full text articles if URSUS has access to an online journal either through a subscription or through another database. If no online source can be found, then print resources or interlibrary loan are available.

Printing or Emailing a PDF Document
1. If you article has is a pdf document you will see icons above article

2. Click on the icon of a printer to print the article.
Do NOT go to the file menu and click on print. If you do this, you will not print the article.
3. To email a copy of the article, click on the icon of an envelope. Select the option of sending a copy, since the link will not work once you have left PsycINFO.

Printing or Emailing an HTML Document
1. If you article is an html document you will icons above the article.

2. Click on the icon of the printer to print, the icon the the envelope to save and the icon of the disk to save.

Locating SPORTDiscuss Journal Articles in Fogler
1. Fogler Library has a complete collection for all ED documents that are available on microfiche prior to 2003. They are filed by ED number. Ask for assistance in the Microform area.
2. The journals are shelved in alphabetic order unless otherwise noted in URSUS. Floor 1 contains A -- Chemical Society Journal Floor 1b contains Chemical Society Proceedings -- Journal of Reprints for Anti-Trust Law and Economics Floor 2 contains Journal of Reproduction and Fertility -- Physical Review Floor 2b contains Physical Review A -- Zygon
3. If Fogler does not have access to an item either online or in print you can request it through interlibrary loan.

Using Folders

Saving in a Temporary Folder
Note: Documents in a temporary folder will be lost if you close ERIC or time out due to inactivity. See the EBSCOhost account. section for instructions on how to save permanently to a folder.
1. Click on the icon of a folder located beneath the citation information.

2. Click on the link at the top of the screen to save all of the items in a search.

Viewing Items in Folder
1. Click on the link Folder View in the upper right area of your computer screen to see items in folder.

2. There are two ways to remove items from the folder. Either click on the icon of the folder below the citation in the results section, or click on the X in the Folder has items area.
3. Once you are in the folder area, you may email, save, print, or export your items.

EBSCOhost Account
1. In order to save a search, save items permanently in a folder or create a web alert on the EBSCOhost server, you must sign up for an EBSCO host account. There is a link at the top of the page called "Sign Into My EBSCOhost" which leads to an area where you can sign in or create a new account.

2. Click on the "I'm a new user" link to establish a free account.

3. Click on the link "Search History/Alerts" link to save your search.

4. Then choose the Save/Searches Alert link. To retrieve saved searches or alerts click on the appropriate link.

5. Select either a permanent or temporary Save or an Alert. An alert can be run daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly

Contact Information for SPORTDiscus
Education Subject Specialist: Cynthia Crosser Phone: 581-3612 cynthia.crosser@umit.umaine.edu \| Revised: 08/12/2008