This link should allow you to access Clemson materials off-campus. (It takes you through the Libraries' proxy server.)
Scholar works similar to a regular Google search. You use boolean logic and may create single strings by placing " before and after more than one word, but remember that the string must match exactly so spelling counts.
Advanced search lets you limit by publication year to find recent articles or by discipline to find research only in the social sciences/humanities.
Look for more current articles that cite an older paper you've already found. If you have a perfectly relevant piece of research from 2001, articles that have that paper in their bibliographies are likely to be more recent updates about the same topic.
Here's how you do it:
*If the correct Cited Work listing does not have a View Record link:
This collection provides in-depth analysis of contemporary issues with coverage from 1991 to present.