"Why would I use library databases when Google is so much easier?"
This is a question librarians get asked a lot, and understandably so! Google has been our go-to for quick information for the majority of our lives. However, when it comes to doing scholarly research, it's not a great choice. Google produces results from all across the Web that can be published by anyone with a computer; this doesn't provide us with credible information sources.
Library databases contain credible information from scholarly journals, which is what your professors are looking for. However, we admit that they can be tricky to use! Library databases don't have as intelligent an algorithm as Google, so you have to be pretty specific with your search terms to produce the results you're looking for.
Boolean Search Techniques are used to add, eliminate, or combine certain key words while researching. Here's some examples:
If you are more of a visual learner, here is a great video from the Eastern Michigan University Library about how to use Boolean search rules to limit what kind of M&Ms you get while searching a mixed up bowl:
The design of this page was adapted in part 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.
