Start by finding the right keywords for a successful database search.
- Start with your research topic and pick out the most important words.
Library databases don't work exactly like search engines. If you type in a question in your own words, you'll likely get no results. That's because the database will try to find results that include all the words you put in the box. Instead, pick out the most important words and use those.
- Brainstorm other terms you might use
These other words could be synonyms, related terms, broader or narrower topics.The database will look for the words the authors used in the articles and books or words that were assigned as subject headings. These might not be the first words you think of in describing your topic.
- Do some background research
Reading some short articles in an encyclopedia or a reliable website can help you think of keywords, especially if the subject is unfamiliar. You could also do a search in the database using the keywords you already have and then look at the subjects or other terms in the articles.
Then combine your terms for a powerful and more efficient search.
- Use the Boolean Connectors:
AND will find results using both your terms: dogs AND cats
OR will find results using either one : dogs OR cats
NOT will filter out unwanted results: ravens NOT football
- Use truncation *
A search on educat* will find education, educators, educating, educated, educational
- Use quotation marks " "
Quotation marks will keep your terms together. Searching for "wheelchair basketball" will give you more focused results than the same words without the quotes.
