Refine your list of results by limiting publication date, subject, geography, source type, and more when appropriate. Remember that you are looking for the right sources, not just sources.
In other words, be prepared for discomfort and a cyclical research process.
Research isn't just about finding sources but finding the right sources. The keywords you use in your search can affect whether or not you find those right sources.
Keyword Help: Start with an EBSCO database, such as Academic Search Premier, SPORTDiscus, or ERIC. Unlike other databases that require manual input of keyword synonyms, EBSCO databases helpfully provide them for you and separate them with the Boolean operator OR (see below). Make note of these keywords for use in other databases.
To begin refining your search in order to find those right sources, add lines in an advanced search in order to search for more than one set of keywords simultaneously (see below).
The most basic function you will find in a database is Boolean Searching. Boolean Searching uses AND, OR, & NOT to tell the machine how your keywords should function.
Imagine searching for a pet in a database of an animal shelter. You might do something like this:
dog AND cat = for kids who want a miracle
dog OR cat = for those who aren't sure which pet or have no preference
dog NOT cat = for those allergic to cats
Use the dropdown boxes beside keywords to further refine your search. One way to do so is to change where in the article you want the keyword to appear, such as author, title, journal name, abstract, or subject.
Refine your keywords further with these advanced techniques:
The design of this page was partly adapted from Research: By Course, Subject, or Topic, by University of Arizona Libraries, © 2020 The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of The University of Arizona, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.