The databases simply match the words you enter in the search box. Not all authors use the same language to describe similar topics, so you will need to try a variety of searches.
Examples
Using AND, OR, and NOT with keywords can help broaden or narrow your search.
AND | OR | NOT |
joins dissimilar terms; helps narrow your search Example college AND social mobility |
joins similar terms; helps broaden your search Example colleges OR universities |
excludes terms; helps narrow your search Example college NOT graduate students |
The asterisk * is the most common truncation symbol.
You do have to be careful because you might get unexpected results.
Many databases have limiters to help you refine results. Many databases have filters for:
Some databases will also have limiters for language, methodology, geography, etc. The available filters will depend on the specific database.
If you don't limit your results to those that are full-text, you may come across articles that have neither the PDF or HTML. You can request these articles from other libraries using a request form.
When you click on the title of an article from your result list, you will usually find options for emailing, downloading, and saving articles. To ensure that you can access the articles you find, email them to yourself and download them to your machine.
To download articles, look for the PDF icon. Some articles may only have the HTML available.
If you don't limit your results to those that are full-text, you may come across articles that have neither the PDF or HTML. You can request these articles from other libraries using a request form.
When you click on the title of an article from your result list, you will also usually find options for citing articles. Select the citation style your instructor requests, and copy / paste the citation into your word processor. Make sure to edit it if you end up using the source in your paper.
These tools are not 100 percent accurate.
For example, a common problem with the automatically-generated MLA 8 citations in databases from the EBSCOHost brand is that they don't list the name of the database. In MLA 8, you need to include the name of the database, not the brand name. Make sure you note the name of the actual database.
"How Library Stuff Works: How to Choose Keywords" by McMaster Libraries (2:42) is licensed under CC-BY.
"How Library Stuff Works: Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT)" by McMaster Libraries (3:43) is licensed under CC-BY.
"Searching Effectively Phrase Searching and Truncation" by OSLIS Elementary Videos (6:09) is licensed under CC-BY.