Database Guide - Lexis+ Newspapers UK

News sources can be used for current awareness or to look for popular trends that occur over time. News reports are often opinion pieces and as such are not considered scholarly evidence to support arguments, but can provide vital historical or factual evidence as well as signpost key reports or government legislation which you can then follow up in other primary and secondary source material. For journalism and language students, news sources provide evidence about language usage, such as persuasive language and style. Read the blog post ‘Read all about it’ to find out more about how you can use news in your discipline.

• Go to LibrarySearch
• Log in using your CCCU username and password. If you are away from campus, or connecting with your own device over Wi-Fi, you will need to include @canterbury.ac.uk after your CCCU username.
• Select ‘Find Databases A-Z’, then click on ‘L’. Finally click on the link to Lexis+ Newspapers UK to open it in a new tab.
• You may be prompted to sign in again. Use the Academic Sign in and choose Athens Sign in. Search for your organisation “Canterbury Christ Church University” to complete sign in.
• If you are directed to the Lexis+ UK search page, rather than the Lexis+ Newspapers search page, select the ‘Content’ drop-down menu from the list below the search box. Then select ‘Newspapers’.

• Search ‘All UK Newspapers’. You can then click on ‘Search all sources on this page’ or ‘Select sources to search’ beneath the search box. The second option will allow you to specify multiple sources to search, e.g. ‘The Guardian (London)’ and ‘Birmingham Post’.
  
  
• Type your keywords into the search box and click on search. Remember to vary combinations of your keywords in several searches to ensure that you find all the relevant material you need. You can also search for a phrase in quotation marks, such as “Dow Jones” or “The Church of England”.
  
  
• You can refine your results by editing or adding to your keywords. Use the filters on the left-side panel, for example by selecting from ‘Geography’, ‘Publication type’, ‘Industry’ or ‘Timeline’. You can also use the search box on the left to search within your results list.
  
  
• Use the advanced search by clicking on the link above the basic search box. Next to this link, is another link to ‘Tips’ for further information on searching.
  
  
• Connectors - If you wish to use connectors (i.e. commands that connect words or phrases) you can re-run your search from the results screen by clicking on the three dots next to the Alerts bell and 'run search as terms and connectors'. Connectors are case sensitive and should always be in lowercase letters e.g. or, &, and not, near/n (insert number e.g. "Extinction rebellion" /8 climate will find articles where "Extinction rebellion" occurs within 8 words of climate. If you wish a word to precede another type pre/2 e.g. hostile pre/2 environment will find articles where hostile appears within the 2 words before environment.
  
  
• Click on the article title to see the transcript. Your search term will be highlighted in the text.

Instructions for JAWS screen reader users are available on request.

Try searching Lexis+ Newspapers UK by following the steps outlined below. You’ll practice using some of the most common functions and be ready to search for newspaper articles.

1. Under the search box, select ‘All UK Newspapers’. Type the keywords social media into the search box.
2. Using the left-hand panel, select ‘Entertainment & Arts’ from the drop-down options under ‘industry’.
3. On the left-hand panel under ‘Timeline’, set the start date to a year ago. How has this changed your results list?
4. Look at the drop-down list under ‘Keywords’ on the left-hand panel. Select a suggested keyword and see it’s impact on your results. You can remove the keyword by clicking on it from underneath the main search box.
5. You may see articles on a range of topics related to social media. Now add ‘children’ to your key words in the ‘search within results’ box on the left-hand panel and click on the search button. What topics are now covered in your results list?
6. Evaluate the sources – do you think they are credible or reliable? Which newspapers will provide in depth analysis? Do they have a political affiliation? How will you use this information in your assignments?

Read this blog post ‘Read all about it!’ to find out more about how you can use news sources critically in your assignments.

Your Learning and Research Librarian will be able to help you make the best use of online resources. For detailed guidance, book a tutorial via the Learning Skills Hub.