How to Search the Databases: Home

1. Identify what you're searching for

• What is your topic? 
• What kinds of sources can you use? 
• Where can you find these sources?

2. Find your search terms

• What keywords can be used to best describe your topic?
• Is there specialized language or abbreviations that should/could be used?

• Don’t type questions into the search box. Databases are not Google and don’t work the same way
• Don’t be afraid of doing multiple searches; it might take a while to come up with the right combination of search terms.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The librarians are available to help.

A "Boolean Search" is a type of search used in the databases to better specify what you're looking for

• Uses operators: AND, OR, NOT
• Can limit or broaden your search
• While useful, Boolean is not always necessary when using the databases

1. Too many or too few results?

• Limit further or broaden your search

2. How relevant are your results?

• Change search terms/combinations
• If there is at least 1 relevant result, look for subject headings to utilize in another search

1. Save the results you find--you might not be able to get back to them

• Download PDFs and relevant article info
• Copy and paste HTML articles

2. Utilize the database's citation feature

• Not always correct, but it's a good starting point 

3. Copy the permalink or persistent link of the article

• Doesn't always work, but it's often a useful way to get back to the article at a later time