Link to Bonnycastle Library Catalogue

Databases:

A library database is an online collection of organized and searchable resources, such as journals, newspapers, and videos. You can search databases to find the most reliable, academic information for assignments. A subscription is needed to access the contents of a database (username and password are required).

Basic tips:

Keep short strings short. Go to the Advanced Search page to separate keywords into multiple boxes.
- Keyword
If you are not find what you want, try changing the keywords.
Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) and truncation (*) to expand and narrow results.
Use the filters/limiters provided by the database to refine your results.

Develop your search terms

This video tutorial will show you how to find and generate effective keywords for internet or database searching:

Keywords and Truncation

A “keyword” is simply a concrete word or phrase that describes the main concepts in a research question or topic.

A keyword search:

Finds the word wherever it appears in the database
Is the most flexible and broadest type of search that is best for initial exploration of a research topic or question
May yield too many results that are not relevant to the research topic or question
Is useful for when the keyword is form of jargon or a term that is new or otherwise distinctive, such as personal names or brands

NEVER type more than one or two words into a search box unless you are using a title. Use Advanced Search for more search boxes to add keywords.

To expand search results, drop the ending of keywords and place an asterisk (*) next to the root of term to find all variations such as the plural and adjectival forms:

Combine keywords/phrases using Boolean operators (why use the Advanced Search)

Boolean operators explained:

AND

Narrows search results.
Retrieves results that contain all the terms and excludes those that contain just one of the terms.

youth AND drugs

OR

Expands search results.
Retrieves results that contain either or all search terms; OR is usually used to search for synonyms or related words.

native OR aboriginal

NOT -

Narrow search results by excluding one or more words.
Retrieves the records that contain the first term but eliminates any records that contain the term which is entered after NOT.

Boolean operators allow you to connect search terms together to get more focused results. The most common are AND, OR and NOT. Although you may create your own searches using Boolean operators, the easiest way to use them is by using the Advanced Search feature.

An Advanced search also allows you to search by field - author, title, subject etc.

In library databases, subject headings are a type of standardized “tag” used to index and organize resources on the same topic, regardless of the words used in the actual text.

Subject headings are useful because they group under one umbrella term all the synonyms, singular or plural forms, and spelling variants of a given term so you do not have to search for every variation to find all relevant resources.

Also referred to as subject terms or descriptors, subject headings vary depending on the database. A list of subject headings is typically provided within the thesaurus or index, which can be used to begin a subject search.

Using Filters and Limiters

When you use library databases, you will often get too many results.

In most databases, the left-hand (EBSCOhost) or right-hand column (Gale) of the search results page has many filters/limiters to narrow and improve the accuracy and relevancy of results.

The categories of filters and limiters include:

Format of resource, such as print book, academic journal, or eBook
Subject headings, which describe the content of the item
Language of the publication
Geographic location such as country, province, state or city

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