When looking for articles in databases the key is to determine the appropriate search terms for your topic. In many databases articles are organized by subject terms that are determined by the journal and author(s) of the article. For this course, "mathematical models" is an important subject term you can use to aid the search process. Below are pictures that show you two ways to include subject terms in Academic Search Complete (ASC), an important database to start your research.
The first example is from the main search page for ASC. The asterick (*) after the word "model" trucates the word and looks for all forms of the word, so this search includes model, models, and modeling.
After you find an article you like, identify the subject terms listed. This is a great way to get to similar articles. Take a look at the last subject term. Once you decide on an an area of study you might be able to narrow down that subject specifically to mathematical models.
While these steps will work for most EBSCO databases, other databases are different. However, the general idea of identifying the subject terms for your topic are transferable skills. If you find a database or journal perfect for your area of study browse around a bit to see if you can find the subject terms most suitable.
Finally, make sure you are using scholarly sources. In ASC check the "Scholarly/Peer Reviewed Journals" box on the main search page, or refine your results by selecting "Academic Journals" to the left of your search results. Other databases may only contain scholarly journals or their process of limiting to scholarly sources might be slightly different. Remember, do not hesitate to contact a librarian for research help!
Please note that while "Spaghetti Functions" is an excellent example of subject terms it is not a scholarly source.
Use this vocabulary list for an initial keyword/subject heading search for articles.
The SU Library offers subject specific databases to find current articles. If you know which database you want to use go to Databases A-Z.
