Limiters

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT:

Limiters, sometimes called filters, are an additional layer provided by databases to help you narrow your search results. After you enter your keywords in a search box, you will see a list of possible resources that match your keywords. Often you will want to narrow those down to resources more relevant to your search. Using limiters gives you the flexibility to do that without modifying your keywords.

WHAT TO DO:

  1. Watch the video.

  2. Review the information on types of limiters and why to use them.

  3. Take the self check.

  4. Go to the final quiz.

What is a Limiter?

Types of Limiters

Types of common limiters and when to use them. 1. Date: Use this when you need articles in a particular date range. 2. Peer-reviewed: Use this when your assignment requires peer-reviewed (Scholarly) materials. 3. Subject: Use this when you need to narrow down a broad search to a specific subject. 4. Type: Use this when you want a specific type of resource, like a book or ebook, videos, news, magazines, or journals.

Where to Find Limiters

Limiters can show up in various places when you're looking at a library database.

  • Some are like Amazon, on the left side of the page.

  • Some are across the top.

  • Others are grouped in a box.

  • Some may be in a drop-down menu that you have to click.

Wherever they are, when you use a database for the first time, locate the limiters and use them to enhance your search!

Here are some examples of databases with limiters in different places!

database results with limiters on the left side of the page, the top of the page, and in.a dropdown box at the top of the page

Examples

You are looking for an evidence-based nursing article has been written in the last five years.

Use the date limiter to narrow your results to articles published in your specific date range.

Your English assignment on Shakespeare's play Hamlet is focused on madness. Your search uses the keywords "Ophelia" and "madness", but you need articles that focus on the literary topics.

Use the subject limiter and choose "literature" or "literary criticism". This will eliminate articles that are in other subjects like psychology or business.

Your assignment on Jean Piaget's educational theory of cognitive development requires scholarly sources.

Select "peer reviewed" in the limiters to eliminate most articles that are not scholarly.

You are researching the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, and want to find news footage from that time period.

Use the type limiter to choose video. (And as a bonus, also use the date limiter to specify the year in which the Pearl Harbor attack happened!)

Pro-Tip: Using Limiters with Advanced Searching

We've been talking about using limiters POST-SEARCH, or after you type in your initial keywords and you are looking at your results.

You can also use limiters PRE-SEARCH, especially when you are using a database's Advanced Search function. This gives you the ability to pre-select particular limiters before you type in your keywords. This can be really helpful if you're confident about the scope of your topic.

To do this, navigate to the database's Advanced Search page and review the limiters offered there. They may be called "Search Options," but will be the same limiters we discussed above.

Self Check