A-Z Databases: SPORTDiscus: Library Guide

SPORTDiscus uses a search platform called EBSCOhost Research Platform - the video below a short, 2 minute introduction showing you how to perform an advanced search on this platform. You will be able to use this to search SPORTDiscus as well as other databases like CINAHL and ERIC.

EBSCO Tutorials (2019) Creating an advanced search - tutorial. Available at: https://youtu.be/DjKNxqiuwpY  (Accessed: 10 November 2020).

Download the EBSCO mobile app for easier access.

EBSCO Tutorials (2020) EBSCOmobile app.  Available at: https://youtu.be/Wdiz0PynqbI (Accessed: 16 November 2020).

Advanced Search

Typing a sentence into a search engine or database will not search resources effectively.

Consider the key words and/ or phrases that describe what you want to search (e.g. nursing students).

Enter these in the search boxes provided.

You can use various search techniques to add in extra terms, combine multiple topics, narrow results down and get more useful results.  These include:

• Phrase search - including the terms in quotation marks to ensure they appear together (e.g. "home care").
• Boolean search:
  • AND (+) - narrows down the results. All connected terms must be included in the results (e.g. nursing students AND social media).
  • OR (|) - broadens out the results. Either connected term can be included in the results (e.g. "cerebrovascular accident" OR CVA OR stroke).
  • NOT (-) narrows down the results. The second term must be excluded from the results (e.g. dementia NOT senile).
• Truncation symbol * can be helpful but should be used with caution.  For example, nurs* will find nurse, nurses and nursing ... but also nursery.

Use the available filters, e.g. to the left of your results list, to refine your search by date range, language or content type, among others.

Extending the search beyond full text items

SPORTDiscus is set to offer full text results by default.  Abstracts or references for many more articles are available by deselecting the "Full text" option in the "Limit Your Results" section.

Some of these articles may be accessible in full via the listed 'Check Primo OneSearch for availability' links. 

For others, a free copy may be available on the internet provided under an open access arrangement. Use Google Scholar or Open Access Button to check. Type in one author's surname and add the title of the article in quotation marks (to look for the words in the same order). If the article is freely available, you will see a PDF or HTML notation beside the citation.

You may also be able to get the article by requesting an Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

Go to Databases A-Z and select 'SPORTDiscus'

New login route from 8th March 2021:

Enter your student, or staff, email address and password when prompted by the Microsoft 365 login pages. 

Note: if you are accessing one of the databases on the EBSCOhost Research Platform, e.g. CINAHL Complete, for the first time, you may first have to select the Institutional login icon.

• In the 'Select a field' dropdown, select Abstract to limit the search results to articles discussing your topic.
• The 'UK and Ireland' geographic filter refers to where the journal is published so has limited relevance for individual articles.
• To save specific articles, or your searches, for viewing in later search sessions, sign up for a personal folder.  See EBSCO's Create a personal account  video for details.  
• Click the 'Choose databases' option, above the search boxes, to simultaneously run your search on CINAHL and another another database on the EBSCOhost research platform. 
• Follow EBSCO Publishing on Twitter - @EBSCO
• Watch videos on EBSCO Tutorials YouTube channel.

If you are experiencing difficulties accessing any resources or would like to discuss your searches, referencing or related matters, please contact library staff:

Email library@uws.ac.uk or log a call on the Self Service Portal.