Start on the Library Homepage by entering your search phrase into the All tab.

Pro tip: Put quotation marks around phrases to ensure that the exact phrase is populated in the results and not the individual words. Also use AND to make sure two separate keywords or phrases are connected in the search results.

Once you run your initial search, you will notice that there are A LOT of results.

Let's refine those a little bit. First, let's choose only the source types we want to look at. Click on the Source Type drop down and select the source types that you want to look at. Let's go with Books and Book Chapters to start. Click Apply Filters

Now, the number of results our search yielded is less daunting.

Perhaps we can get the number down a little lower though. In most research, it is important to look for what was published most recently or during a specific time period. Luckily, our catalog search allows you to refine your search results by date range. Click on the Year Published drop down to begin.

For this research, let's look at everything published in the last 10 years. Enter the year and click Use this Range

Now we've got even fewer fewer results to pick through!

Time is everything right? So here's how to find only the results that you can access online, right now. Under Show Only, select Available Online. Simple as that. This will hide any physical books that we have in the Library from the results.

Click here to learn more about how to use our e-book collection.

Let's say we want to delete any of the search refinements that we already set. For example, maybe we want to see both eBooks and physical books. Simply click the x next to any of the Active Filters to remove them.

The search filters built into our Library Catalog search are a vital tool for helping you find the most relevant sources for your research, so play around with them and see how it can help with your topic!