CSU Libraries > How Do I > Galileo > Using Wilson OmniFile

Using Wilson OmniFile

Wilson's partially full text databases offered via OmniFile include such favorites as Readers Guide, Social Science Abstracts, Humanities Abstracts, and General Science Abstracts. OmniFile combines partial full text with accurate and consistent indexing that ensures high quality articles from well known journals. Though the full text material takes a few extra mouse clicks to reach, Wilson's selectiveness and good indexing make this slight inconvenience more than bearable for those with even minimally demanding topics.

1. Before you start searching, examine your topic. Your topic probably contains two concepts, for example estrogens AND environment for environmental estrogens or remediation AND acid rain for cleaning up acid rain damaged waterways.
2. Wilson OmniFile is available on and off campus via GALILEO.
3. In the yellow space at the top of the page, click the box next to the databases in your topic's subject areas. For language and literature and other humanities topics, choose Humanities Abstracts. For education and school related topics, choose Education Abstracts. Social Sciences Abstracts covers political science, criminal justice, psychology and more. General Science Abstracts covers the natural, physical, and health sciences, or choose OmniFile Full Text Mega to search all the databases combined.
4. Wilson OmniFile also allows you to restrict to full text only. For larger subjects, smaller projects, and topics outside the sciences, this is a good choice. Check off one or more of the Full Text Articles and/or PDF Articles boxes.
5. Type in your search. Remember to follow the directions in step 1 Put one concept on each line and put synonyms for each concept on the same line. For example, for searching estrogens AND environment, put estrogens on one line and environment OR ecology on the second line. OR puts synonyms together into a single concept.
6. Wilson presents articles in crowded groups of ten. Articles with a striped icon or a red and grey Adobe Acrobat icon next to them are full text. Other articles are available in the library, through a link to another database, or via interlibrary loan.
7. Wilson arranges articles by relevance, so the best ones are often closer to the top. To move among the articles on a single screen, scroll up or down. To move between pages of articles, insert a number or click the white arrows in light blue boxes at the bottom of the screen.
8. To see the abstract and a full reference for an article, click on its blue title.
9. To see the full text for an article, click on the striped icon or red and grey Adobe Acrobat icon. Remember Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF) articles can be slow to load on older machines.
10. To print a full text article, click the print icon on top of the full text article's pop up box, the printer icon inside Adobe Acrobat Reader, or for full text articles in other linked databases, follow THAT DATABASE'S printing instructions.
11. For non-full text articles, Wilson OmniFile sometimes provides a link to another database where the article is available. Click the plain grey icon next to the reference. Sometimes Wilson OmniFile requires two or three clicks to reach an article.
12. If this does not work, use GIL to see if the library subscribes to the article's journal and has a particular year of the journal. Interlibrary loan is available for articles we do not own.
13. To start a new search in Wilson OmniFile, click Advanced Search on the left side of the screen.
14. To leave Wilson OmniFile, click on the home icon at the top of your browser, click the Exit Program button in the top right corner of the page, or just close the browser window.

EHK -- September 2005