Database Search Tips
Use these tips to search in databases and remember databases sometimes have special instructions or terms to use for advanced searching, so check the "Help" section on each database for specific details.
- Click on “Advanced Search”
- Type your selected topic(s) of interest, such as “dark matter" or "Perseid meteor shower"
- Select whether your search term is an author, title, or keyword
- Use AND to search for linked terms, OR to widen a search to additional terms, and NOT to exclude terms ("Saturn NOT car" will ensure you get results for the planet not the car maker!)
- Use quotes around words to search the exact phrase ("moon phase calendar 2025")
- Select a timeframe to limit results (set to the last month, year, 5 years, etc.) based on how recent you’d like your results
- Select the specific types of materials you’re interested in like articles, book reviews, or e-books (look for "Document Type" or "Format")
- Click search and review results. Use filters (resource type, language, etc.) to further narrow results as needed
Online Databases
Made available via the New York Public Library (any NYS resident can apply for a digital library card, allowing you to access the NYPL catalog and research tools online), Article Plus is a centralized warehouse of various online journals and e-books accessible to NYPL patrons. The database provides quick and easy access to thousands of resources, including materials that cover astronomy and astrophysics topics.
The "Concept Map" tool is especially useful to start with one or two subject terms and the system will provide prompts for resources to help you dive deeper and locate articles, journals or books of interest. The broad scope of this database means it does not have a specific focus on science or space, which may lead to search results that are unrelated to the areas of astronomy and astrophysics.
How to access and use Article Plus
- If you don't have a digital NYPL library card, you can apply on this page.
- Login to Article Plus with your NYPL library card number and pin (you will set a PIN when you get the digital library card)
- The Article Plus Help page provides helpful information to improve search strategies
- Search using the tips on this page as needed, and remember this is a general database so a few attempts may be needed to get useful results
Accessible via the New York State Library, Gale OneFile Science is an extensive database covering a range of scientific disciplines including astronomy and astrophysics. Journals, magazines and news sources are brought together in this collection. This is a great resource to keep in mind for a range of scientific queries, and the entire NYS Library menu of databases via NovelNY provides a rich warehouse of research materials.
The "Topic Finder" in Gale OneFile Science is a helpful discovery tool, generating a map of associated topics based on the subject term you enter in the search bar. Click within the map results to refine your search, and the database will generate resources based on your topics. For example, using this method I navigated from "astronomy" to "stars" to "seeing stars" which returned six articles from the database.
How to access and use Gale OneFile Science
- All NovelNY databases are freely available online for NYS residents, and authentication happens automatically
- On the NovelNY database homepage, click "Subjects" then click "Science"
- From the results click "Gale OneFile Science"
- Use the "Help" button on the bottom of the page for a pop-up window with details on how to navigate the database, improve searches and troubleshoot any issues
- Search using the search terms and tips provided on this page as needed, and use your own search terms letting your interests and curiosity guide you!