There are some very specific things you MUST do when searching databases or you will be quite frustrated. Follow these steps:

• Click on the link above to be directed to the EBSCO database chooser.

• Login using the USERID and PASSWORD you were given.

• To search the 27 general knowledge databases listed, choose EBSCOHost Research Databases from the top of the list.

• To select a more specialized database, choose it from the list based on your topic.

• No matter which way you search, here are some tips to make your searches better:

  • ​If your search term has more than one word, enclose it in "quotations" so that it will be searched as a phrase instead of each word individually.

  • If you cannot think of keywords or search terms, try Googling your whole question/statement before going to the databases. Read through the first page of results to find often repeated ideas/words...these can be your keywords.

  • Google likes full-text searching, but databases DO NOT. Therefore, it is important for you to combine search terms with the word AND or a + sign. You can also use NOT to eliminate search terms and OR to combine others.

  • Finally, if you find a search term and you don't know what it means (or you're not sure), use Wikipedia for that. It's a great place for definitions/explanations.

Once you are in the appropriate database(s), follow these steps to narrow down your results:

1. Search a general term or keyword.

2. Use the limiters on the left to narrow your results as folows:

• Click on the box marked "Linked Full Text" to eliminate abstracts/summaries.

• Move the "Publication Date" slider on the left to within your lifetime to get rid of old stuff. However, if your subject is scientific, don't read anything more than 3 years old and if it's technological, limit your results to the last year. Otherwise, your info can be obsolete.

• Choose the "Source Type" that is most appropriate...it will usually be Journals, as they are the most scholarly.

• Next, under the "Subjects" section, click on "Show More" to see the entire list of subjects and choose the one(s) that fits your topic.