Database Searching ≠ Google Searching.
Use the following strategies to effectively search academic databases.
- Formulate a specific research question.
- Narrow your topic to a specific question to focus your results.
- Generate basic search terms.
- Use boolean operators.
- Limit and expand your search terms.
- Use quotes, asterisk, and "apply related words."
- Use search limiters.
- Peer Reviewed, Age Group, Population Group
- Use date restrictions.
- Narrow publication date range.
- Find related research using "cited references" or "times cited in the database."
- cited references: those citations included in the bibliography of the work being reviewed.
- times cited in the database: publications that cite the work being reviewed found in the database.
- Search for author's other research.
- Find other work by the same author helps find trends in the research.
