Skip to Main Content

Discover@UMSL

How to find articles, books, and more using our library search tool.
NOTE: The user interface (UI) of Discover@UMSL and our other EBSCO databases has changed, as of Monday, June 9. As a result, some of the screen captures in this guide may look outdated; they will be updated soon. Please contact us via chat if you need assistance!

Searching with Discover@UMSL

Discover@UMSL provides access to a wide variety of sources through electronic databases and the UM System’s library catalog, including journal articles, books, ebooks, media, and more. The search tool pulls results from most of UMSL’s databases at once.

To find the Discover@UMSL search tool, look for the white box in the center of the library's homepage (umsl.edu/library).

Top of University Libraries homepage featuring the Discover@UMSL search tool and buttons for popular resources and services


This guide offers tips on navigating the search tool. For tips on how to choose keywords and structure your search, see UMSL Library’s Effective Searching tutorials and the Combining Terms page of this guide. 

The Initial Search

On the library homepage (umsl.edu/library), type in your keywords and hit enter or click the Search button. Use the least number of words possible—the more keywords you enter, the smaller your list of results will be (because each result must contain all the words you enter). Use double quotation marks to search for exact phrases. If you want to limit your search to peer-reviewed articles from the start, you can select the limiter (circled in yellow) below the keyword box—or you can wait until you get to the results page to select that limiter.

Discover@UMSL search for U.S. foreign policy and China. The peer reviewed articles only filter is circled in yellow.

The Results Page

Here are some helpful features of the results page:

 A   Limit your results by choosing filters (also called limiters) near the top of the page, below the search bar. Read more about filters at the bottom of this box.

 B   The source type appears above the item's title. Some common examples are Academic Journal, Book, eBook, and Newspaper. If an article is peer reviewed, you'll also see that designation on this line.

 C   When UMSL provides full text access to an article, you'll see one of the following:

  • An Access options menu (which gives you the choice of PDF or Online Full Text)
  • A PDF Full Text button
  • An Online Full Text button
  • A Find Full Text button (which takes you to a page that offers options for where to look for a PDF or online text. If none of those options lead you to full text, request the item through Interlibrary Loan to have the article emailed to you from another library—for free! 

 D   The database in which the item was discovered.

 E   The abstract and subject headings can be expanded for each item. The subject headings offer alternative search terms you can try. 

 F   To add the item to your Saved folder (see the Saving & Retrieving Items page), click the bookmark icon. The overflow menu (3 vertical dots) allows you to do one of the following:

  • Create an auto-generated citation in your chosen format—such as APA, MLA, or Chicago—by selecting the Cite link
  • Add the item to a project
  • Share a link
  • Download full text of the item (does not work for books or e-books)

 G   The recent activity section of your dashboard will let you revisit searches and records you've viewed during your active session.

 H   The links at the bottom of the left sidebar will take you to:

  • The library homepage
  • The MOBIUS Catalog
  • The Institutional Repository Library (where you can look for dissertations, among other items)
  • This guide

A: Filters can be found immediately below the search box. B: Item's source type and peer review designation are located above the item's title. C: Full text access links are located at the bottom of each item record. D: Database containing the item can be found between the title and abstract. E: Abstract and subject headings can be expanded as needed. F: To the right of the source type are the bookmark button and an overflow menu for citing, sharing, and downloading. G: Recent activity in the My Dashboard section of the left sidebar. Links to the library homepage, the MOBIUS catalog, and this guide can be found in the last section of the left sidebar.

More about Filters

  I    The most common filters appear along the top of the page, just below the search box. They include:

  • Full text
  • Peer reviewed
  • Publication date
  • Source type

 J   To see the full list of filters, click the All Filters button, which shows the number of active filters in parentheses. This button opens a panel on the right side of the page.

 K   The active filters appear at the top of the panel. The Available in Library Collection filter is applied by default; it searches all of the books in the UM System libraries and all of the articles available here at UMSL. To search for articles held at other libraries, deselect Available in Library Collection.

 L   The Expanders section includes a couple of default expanders. It's usually best to leave these options as they are.

 M   The Published Date section is very similar to the one at the top of the page (in   I  ), but it also lets you choose a custom date range. 

 N   It's tempting to select a specific geographical location, but for most databases geography refers to where the journal is published and not where the article's study takes place. 

Eye: Common filters at the top of the results page. J: Clicking the All Filters button opens a panel on the right side of the page. K: There is one default filter, Available in Library Collection; remove this filter to see articles we don't have immediate access to that you can request through Interlibrary Loan. L: There are two default expanders; it's usually best to leave these alone. M: The Published Date filter allows you to choose 12 months, 5 years, 10 years, or a custom date range. N: Geography usually refers to the location where the journal is published, which may be different than where the authors performed their study.