Looking for ways to move your searching game up a notch? This is the page for you.
The words you use as your search terms have a big effect on the relevance of the results that you get. So choose carefully!
Unlike Google and OneSearch, library research databases like ERIC and APA PsycInfo assign subject headings to each record, indicating the focus of the article.
When you're trying to come up with good terms to search on, the Subjects field is the place to look!
When searching in a database, put quotes around phrases of two or more words where it's important to keep the words together. Then your words will be searched as a unit; it prevents the database from searching for the words individually.
So, when searching on a topic this can be important. Here are some examples:
It's also helpful when searching for a title -- of a governmental act, an organization, an article, as shown here:
What if I find a ton using these techniques?
What if I need to find more articles?