Many database companies have created their own tutorials on how to use their resources with wikis, FAQs, short videos, and PDFs:
If you already know the name of the database, you can type it into the search bar on the library homepage or you can click on Databases to see the full list.
When you start your search, use just a few terms.
If you get many results, then add more terms to narrow your results.
Remember: more search terms = fewer results.
Databases differ in appearance, often because they are produced by different companies. However, they also share many features. Note the differences and similarities between JSTOR, Sociology Abstracts (by ProQuest), CINAHL (by Ebsco).
Use AND to focus results more narrowly, a useful strategy when one term is too general and returns too many results. In most databases, AND is the default.
Use OR to expand results to include multiple possible terms, a useful strategy when concepts are represented by more than one term, e.g. children OR kids OR juveniles
Use NOT to exclude items you don't want in results, a useful strategy when results are cluttered with a related but irrelevant topic.
