LibrarySearch is the main search tool on the VIU Library website. You can use it to search for all types of sources, including non scholarly (news, magazines, etc.) and scholarly (journal articles, books).

1. Access LibrarySearch:

• Go to the VIU Library website. 
• Locate the LibrarySearch bar. 

2. Basic search: 

• Add your keywords into the search bar. Remember whole sentences or questions don't work.
• For example, type "social media" impact teenagers and click enter

3. Use search filters: 

• After you get to your search results, you can get more specific by using filters on the left hand side of the page.
• Under Content Type, click on News articles and Magazines to find non scholarly information, and helpful background information. It is also at an easier reading level. 
• Click on Journal articles if you would like to view scholarly information. You can also click Peer reviewed under "Refining your search" on the left hand side. More information in the "Find scholarly sources" tab. 

4. Advanced Search: 

• If you are not getting enough or any relevant results, you can add additional vocabulary that you built in the "Getting Started with Research tab" on this page.
• You can combine keywords and related terms using Library search tips like: 
  • Phrase search: use quotations for any term that is more than 2 words, such as "social media" or "early childhood education"
  • OR: Add OR between related or similar terms to tell the database that it doesn't matter which term gets used
  • AND: The ANDs moving down the list separate the different ideas or concepts in your search
• After do you all of this, your search will look something like this: 

For more tips on how to search, including video tutorials see our guide.