Cite Right
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Forming your Search StringThe more complicated your question, the less likely a search engine can understand it. To get the best result, identify keywords and like terms to create a search string.
Example research question: How does the presence of LRRK2 gene mutations predict the onset of Parkinson's disease?
Keywords: LRRK2, Parkinson's disease
Like terms can include synonyms and also examples of your keywords. If you don't get results from searching your keywords, it doesn't mean that the research doesn't exist. It could mean that the researcher used different language to describe the same topic
Search strings connect your keywords and like terms together for the best results.
Too many results? Use AND to narrow results
LRRK2 AND Parkinson's disease
Too few results? Use OR to broaden results or use a * to search for anything beginning with that term
LRRK2 OR leucine rich repeat kinase 2 AND Parkinson*
Use peer-reviewed articles that you've found to discover more research that preceded and followed it.
Ancestor articles came before your article and were used by the authors to form their research. They are located in
Descendant articles came after your article and cite your article in their research. They can be found
Also known as peer-reviewed articles, scholarly articles are sources that are:
While you can find scholarly articles through general search engines, databases contain a feature where you can narrow your results to only scholarly articles.
Provides millions of articles from over 17,000 scholarly journals and other authoritative sources—including thousands of podcasts and transcripts from NPR and CNN as well as videos from BBC Worldwide Learning.
Books and eBooks often provide a broader overview and cover more information than a scholarly journal article.
You don't need to read an entire book to use it in your research. Use the index at the back of a book to find the information you need.
QH301-705.5 Biology (General)
QH359-425 Evolution
QH426-470 Genetics
QH471-489 Reproduction
QH501-531 Life
QH540-549.5 Ecology
QH573-671 Cytology
QH705-705.5 Economic biology
If you find an article or book that you can't access, don't pay for it! Instead, submit an Interlibrary Loan request, and you'll receive articles within a few days!
Are you looking for a specific article, like an article that you found referenced in a bibliography? Search for the journal in Journal Finder, linked below:
What does linking to the Library do?
Linking to Jenks Library allows you to have access to as many resources as possible provided by Jenks. Google Scholar often will include results that are restricted behind a paywall. This allows you to access resources you wouldn't be able to access without linking to the library.
1. Click on the three lines in the upper left corner. Then click on “Settings”.
2. Then click on “Library links” in the left column.
3. Search for "Gordon College" or "Jenks Library" and select "Jenks Library at Gordon College - Access at Jenks Library." Then click "Save."
4. Now, when you search in the Google Scholar search box, any resources that can be accessed through Jenks Library resources will appear. See below for example (found by searching "women in ancient greece").
Gordon College is New England’s top Christian college, located on the North Shore of Boston in Wenham, MA.
Gordon College | 255 Grapevine Road, Wenham, MA 01984 | Telephone 978.927.2300