Database Search Strategies

Remember the following when searching article databases and the book catalog:

Use keywords

Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to add keywords to your search to narrow or broaden your results. AND narrows; OR broadens.

Use truncation to find alternate endings of keywords, such as employ? for employ, employs, employee, employments.

Put exact phrases in quotes, such as “No Child Left Behind.”

Use Article Linker to find the full text of articles in other databases or in print journals.

Set limits when appropriate. Limit your search to items in a certain date range or in peer-reviewed journals, or to items with full text available.

The keywords and search strategies you use in one database can be used in other databases and in the book catalog.