It is usually a good idea to start out broadly, so using just one or two of your topic terms is a good way to begin. Once you have a set of results, you can begin narrowing down your results by entering one or more terms. Searching in a specific field such as "Subject" or "Title" will narrow or focus your results.
Sometimes keywords that worked well in one database won’t be as effective in another. Try using that database’s terminology: the Thesaurus or Subject Terms link. Many databases have a list of designated words that are used to summarize a topic, but they may not be obvious to you.
Using Library Databases to Find Articles: To locate articles using Library databases, you can also visit the Databases from the Library homepage and browse by subject or you can select the first letter of the database name.
Once you locate a few good articles on your topic, be sure to review the references to other articles that are cited. This is a great way to locate related research articles on your topic. Many databases also provide a link to these articles if they are available. If you don't find a link, return to the library homepage to search for the journal name. List to see if it's available, If not, you can always use our awesome Interlibrary Loan Service.
