ProQuest is a group of online databases accessible via the Internet with indexing, abstracting and full text articles from thousands of leading magazines, newspapers and scholarly journals.
On-Campus Access: If you are searching ProQuest from a computer at Cambrian College, click on the following link or type the URL for ProQuest in the appropriate box on your Internet browser: http://search.proquest.com/
Off-Campus Access: ProQuest is available to students from a remote site through Cambrian College's Student 411 service.
To Start:
The default search screen searches all of the databases available through ProQuest at the same time. These include :
- Canadian Newsstand: Full-text articles from national and leading regional newspapers, including The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail.
- CBCA Business: A diverse selection of Canadian business periodicals and trade publications.
- CBCA Reference and Current Events: Academic journals and general interest Canadian magazines in the humanities, social sciences and the professions.
- ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health Source: Full-text articles from leading nursing journals and related health sciences publications.
- ProQuest Science Journals: Articles from magazines, trade publications, and scholarly journals in science, engineering, and technology.
- To select only one or a few of these databases, click on (Change >>) on the top menu bar.
- Select only the database(s) you would like to search and click on Use selected databases.
To Search:
Before searching, you may limit your search to one or both of the following options:
- Full-text documents only
- Scholarly journal articles only
Enter your keywords in the box provided on the search screen.
Click on the Search button.
Advanced Search:
To go to the Advanced Search option, click on Advanced at the top of the web page and select Advanced Search from the drop-down menu.
The Advanced Search option allows you to search for your keywords in specific fields, such as Abstract, Citation, Author, Document Title, Publication Title, etc.
Select the fields you would like to search from the drop-down menus for each keyword or phrase you enter in the search boxes.
You may also select Boolean operators(see Searching Tips ) from the drop-down menus.
To Display Records:
From the results list, click on the title of the article to display complete information, including full-text articles where available.
The links below the record indicate that the article is available in certain formats; click on the links to display the following:
- Full Text displays the text of the article only in HTML format.
- Full Text – PDF displays the text of the article in a PDF file in Adobe Reader.
- Citation/Abstract displays the citation for the article and a summary of the article only.
Search Options:
Click on the following headings to find:
- Publications: Searches for articles by journal, magazine, or newspaper title.
- My Research: Displays any articles you have previously marked for downloading.
- Help: Displays helpful information on how to search and navigate the ProQuest databases.
Searching Tips:
Using Boolean Operators
- To expand a search, combine terms using “or,” e.g. TEENAGERS or ADOLESCENTS
- To narrow a search, combine terms using “and,” e.g. TEENAGERS and ONTARIO
- Use brackets to group expanded search terms together, e.g. (TEENAGERS or ADOLESCENTS) and (ONTARIO or CANADA)
To Truncate Search Terms
- Use * to truncate a word, e.g. CANAD* finds CANADA, CANADA’S, and CANADIAN
- Use ? to replace one or more letters, e.g. WOM?N finds WOMAN or WOMEN
My Research:
Create a My Research account to select articles from the results list and collect them for emailing or for further reading.
- Click on My Research on the top menu bar and create a user name and password for yourself.
- To activate the account, you will be sent an email asking you to verify the email address you have entered.
- Select the articles you would like to collect in your account by clicking in the boxes to the left of articles in the results list.
- To sign into the My Research account at a later time, enter the user name and password you created for yourself.
- You may use this account to email articles in both HTML and PDF formats.
To Download Full Text Articles:
Option 1: Save Full-Text Articles to a Computer File:
- Click on the link below the record to retrieve the full-text article on the screen.
- Click on the Save as file link above the document text.
- Select the file type and format from the options displayed on the screen.
- If desired, select your citation style (APA, MLA, etc.) from the drop-down menu on the screen.
- Click on Save and choose the computer drive to which you would like to save the file.
Option 2: Send Full-Text Articles to Email Accounts:
- Click on the link below the record to retrieve the full- text article on the screen.
- Click on the Email link above the document text.
- Select Full Text or Original File Format as desired.
- Enter the email address to which you would like to send the article in the box provided on the screen.
- Click on the Send email button.