Sophi Search Help

The Sophi Search box is available in the yellow tab on the library home page. To go directly to the full Sophi Search interface, click “Search” in the search box without entering a search term. If you are not a current student, faculty, or staff member at Austin Seminary, click "Guest Access to Sophi Search."

The drop-down menu at the left of the Sophi Search box allows you to search Sophi by keyword, title, author, or subject. The keyword search is active by default. If you know the title or the author of the resource you are looking for, select that option to find it more quickly when you are directed to the results page. If you prefer, leave the search box blank and click "Search" to go directly to the Sophi Search interface and start your search there.

Your search results will appear in the center of the results screen. The type of resource for each result is indicated at the top of the item next to the check box. This will tell you which results are e-books, articles, physical books, essays, etc. Many results will also have a link to access the full-text resource online which you can find in the "Access options" drop down at the bottom of the item. Print books will include information about the location and call number for the book and show if it is available for borrowing. Clicking on a result’s title will take to you a more detailed record for the resource.

After doing a search, you can filter your results to narrow them down to the most relevant items for your research. This works the same way as many online shopping sites where you can narrow your results by category, size, or color. Options for filtering your search include showing only full text results, limiting to peer reviewed journals, showing only print resources in the library catalog, and limiting by resource type, subject, year, language, location, collection, or content provider.

There are two places to filter your results. At the top of the results screen is a quick filter menu that lets you limit to full text results, peer reviewed journals, a particular date range, or a particular type of resource.

If you click on "All filters" in the quick filter menu, it will open up a menu with additional filtering options.

Just use the arrows to open up different sections and click the checkboxes by the filters you'd like to use. Click Apply to apply your filters. To remove filters, go back to the "All filters" menu and click the X by any filters you'd like to remove from the Active Filters list and click Apply again.

You can find more information about filters on the EBSCO Connect site here:EBSCO Discovery Service Filters

To get a list of only print books that match your search in Sophi Search you can filter your results by checking "Austin Seminary / SSW Library Catalog" in the All filters menu.

This limiter brings up print books that are in either the Wright Learning and Information Center at Austin Seminary or the Harrison Library at the Seminary of the Southwest. Results for print books include their physical location, call number, and a status indicating if they are available to check out. Note that the result list will also include e-books that are part of the library catalog -- those will have Wright Center Online as a location. If you'd like to place a hold on a title, use the Access options drop down to view the book in the library catalog, then log in and place a hold from there.

If you want to further limit your results to just material at the Wright Learning and Information Center (and not the material at the Seminary of the Southwest), use the Filter by Library Location in the All filters menu.

You can also go directly to the library catalog to search for print books at the Wright Center or Harrison Library.

Some results will provide access to the full text of the article or book that you are looking for, while others are just descriptions of the item, the full text of which will have to be located elsewhere. To limit your search results to just those materials available in full text through our subscriptions, select the Linked Full Text limiter in the quick filter menu at the top of the results list.

Depending on the source of the result, access to full-text materials can look different for different results. Generally, material with full-text access will have an icon and link that says something about "full-text" or "view online." See the highlighted examples below:

If you click on a link for a full-text resource from off-campus (or in student housing), you will be asked to sign in using your Seminary credentials. Once you sign in, you'll be directed right to the resource.

If you can't find full-text access, never pay for a copy online -- ask one of the librarians by emailing us at library@austinseminary.edu and we can try to help you find what you need!

To get a list of e-books that match your search in Sophi Search you can check “eBooks” under the Sources filter on the quick filter menu at the top of the Sophi Search results screen:

If you click to access an e-book from off-campus you will be asked to sign in using your Seminary credentials.

Questions about e-books? Check out our e-book help page.

To get a list of journal articles that match your search in Sophi Search you can check “Academic Journals” under the Sources filter on the quick filter menu at the top of the Sophi Search results screen:

If you want to limit your search to Peer Reviewed articles, select the "Peer Reviewed Journals" limiter in the quick filter menu at the top of the results list:

Sophi Search searches the library's electronic journal holdings as well as subscription databases of academic journals. This includes the Atla Religion Database, several other databases related to theological subjects, and over seventy other databases in a variety of academic subjects. Some of the results may just be citations, but most results will give you full-text access to the resource. If you click to access full-text from off-campus you will be asked to sign in using your Seminary credentials.

If you find a citation to an article that is not available in full text, we may have a print copy of the journal in the library. Try searching for the journal title in Sophi Search or in the library catalog. You can also use the link under the Access options dropdown in the Sophi Search record for the article to request a copy through interlibrary loan. Note that it can take up to two weeks to fill your request. More information on requesting items via interlibrary loan can be found here.

On any Sophi Search screen you will see a My Dashboard menu at the left. 

From the Dashboard you can create and edit projects (spaces to organize research for a particular paper or topic), see saved items, access saved searches, create and manage journal alerts, and see items that you have recently viewed.

Use the following links to learn more about the features of the Dashboard:

• Using the Dashboard
• Creating Projects
• Creating and Managing Journal Alerts
• Creating and Managing Search Alerts

NOTE: In general, you will be logged into your personal account when using Sophi Search and you will see your personal Dashboard. Note that if you access Sophi Search using the Guest User option, you will still see the My Dashboard menu but any changes you make will be tied to your current browser session and will not be saved.

In addition to searching Sophi Search in the traditional way, you can now explore topics using the Concept Map feature. You can access the concept map search box using the link under Research tools at the left side of any Sophi Search Screen.

After entering in a search term, you will be presented with an interactive map of related concepts. 

The display can be toggled between the map view and the grid view using the buttons at the top of the screen.

For more information on using the concept map, explore these guides:

• Concept Map -- Quick Start Guide
• Using the Concept Map (video)
   

When you search in Sophi Search, you will be asked to sign in using your Seminary credentials. If you are not a current student, faculty, or staff member at the seminary, click "Guest Access to Sophi Search" at the bottom of the search box to search our holdings. 

If you have trouble logging in, check out our Off Campus Access to Library Resources page for troubleshooting help, or contact the library at libraryiq@austinseminary.edu

If you prefer searching the library catalog, e-books, or specific databases separately, those search options are available through the links on the Research Tools page.

Note that in some cases it may be preferable to search directly in the database you want to use in order to take advantage of its full functionality (for example, using the Scripture Citation search in the Atla Religion database or accessing materials in Ministry Matters.)