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Information Technology

Tips for searching a database, key terms, and starting databases.

Really? Is Google all you need? Why you should choose a library database over a search engine!

In this video a Yavapai College student explains the benefits of using library databases for research over search the Web.

Waggoner Databases

A great place to begin your search is with Academic Search Ultimate, a multidisciplinary database.

After you have a good idea of keywords and phrases for your topic, use one of the specialized databases in your field. Here, you'll find more specific information written by practitioners in your field.

Google Scholar

You can search various disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts, and court opinions from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, and other websites. The key to using Google Scholar effectively is to link to Trevecca's library so your result list will show resources in our library.  Check out the Google Scholar research guide for all the details. 

Searching a database in 3 easy steps:

 

Step 1:  Think about some words that are related to your topic. These are known as "keywords."

Step 2:  Construct your search in ProQuest Central.

  • On the advanced search page, type your keywords in the boxes provided.  Remember, you are typing words or word phrases, not questions. Spelling counts!

Search tips:

Use quotes to search for a phrase.

Add an asterisk at the end of a word root to search for all forms of the word and other compound words.  E.g., computer* = computers, computerized, computerization

  • You will get more results if you do not select a search field.
  • Choose peer-reviewed to limit your results to peer-reviewed or scholarly articles.
  • Hit search.

Step 3:  The Results List, take a careful look!

  • Know what types of sources you are seeing.

  • Too many results?  Try applying a date limiter or using more narrow keywords to describe your topic.  For example, if you search for "medicine," try narrower terms like "nurse" or "doctor."  There also may be search terms suggested on the left side of your results page. 

  • Not enough results?  Use the same strategy for too many results.  Try new keywords from your brainstorm list or those suggested by the database.

Found the perfect article? 

First, is there full text?  Search the journal title to find the article in print or another database or order it through InterLibrary Loan.  

Identifying your search terms

The first step in successful research is defining your search terms. The sample topic below illustrates how to identify keywords, phrases and limiters before you begin to search.

Additional factors to consider are date ranges and types of content (scholarly or peer reviewed, newspaper, trade journals...).  These limiters can be applied from the results list within the databases.

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