ATLA Search Results Analysis

Analyzing your Results

Understanding the features of your results in any EBSCO database search (like ATLA) will help save you time.

Try a Scripture search (using the Scriptures link in the blue toolbar at top of screen) and find Daniel 10:18.  In the left column, you will see options for refining your results.

Limiting by Full Text

You can limit by Full Text - meaning only articles that are full text in ATLA will show.  This significantly reduces your results as ATLA only provides full text for 320 journals.  Try limiting to Full-Text and note the difference in the results list. 

Uncheck Full-Text to return to your original results.

Limiting by Full Text

You will note that some of your results have a Find It button.

By clicking on that button (don't actually click it now or you will leave this tutorial), a search for databases with the full text of that article will tell you if the article is available in another database.  

Limiting by Full Text

When there is no full text available in another database, the results will look like this:

In that case, you can click on the Request Item button, enter your name and email address and Morgan Library Interlibrary Loan staff will find the article and email it to you.  (This could take 1-2 days or up to 10 days, depending on the lending library.)  We try to get the articles from libraries that respond quickly.

Limiting by Full Text

When full text is available in another database, your results will look like this:

You may then click on "View Full Text" and go directly to the article.  Note that the full text coverage is listed on the results page, so check to be sure the date you need is within those parameters.  When you complete this tutorial, try some of the Find It buttons and see if you can find an article that is full text.

Limiting by date

Looking at the limiters again, you will see a slider bar with dates at both ends.

Sliding the left arrows to the right on the Publication Date slider will eliminate older articles, which in some cases will eliminate some good articles.  Use the Publication Date slider sparingly.  It might be better to use the Sort feature (described next.)

Limiting by date

If you want to sort your results, you can sort by Date Newest, which will give you the most recent first, but leave all the results in date order. The default is sorting by relevance based on the search terms.  

Click on the Relevance dropdown and select Date Newest to see how the Sort function changes your results list.

Source Types

The Source Type is important to note. 

ATLA indexes more than journals, so your results include "Essays", which are chapters in books and "Books", referring to the entire book -- which will not be full-text.  Other source types include reviews and multimedia (video recordings and sound recordings).  Try typing temple into the search box.

Source Types

To find an "Essay" -- Click on the box next to Essays in Source Types so that you can see what a result of "Essay" looks like.  Click on the title (in blue) of one of them (preferably in English).  The title you have chosen is the title of the chapter of a book.  Listed below that is the author of the chapter and then the Source. The Source is the title of the book where this chapter can be found.  To stay with this tutorial, do not follow the next steps, but try it later.

Clicking on the Find it button will allow you look for the location of the book.  You will see a screen like this:

Clicking on the Check holdings in your Library Catalog will give you results in Morgan Library LancerQuest, which may possibly be available, as in this case, though not always.

Other limiters

Look again at the results page and the other limiters available.

You can narrow your subject search or narrow to a specific publication.  If you have a preferred publisher, you may choose the publisher from a list.  And finally, you can limit to the languages you prefer to read.  Click on the arrow to the right of each of these limiters.

Which limiter is the most helpful?

Other limiters

If you have further questions, you may contact Morgan Library by using our Ask-a-Librarian feature or you may call us at 574-372-5100 x6294.

Certificate

Please enter your name and email address to retrieve a copy of your completed quiz.

You can enter multiple email addresses separated by commas. If you are doing this for a class, you may need to enter your instructor's email address also.