7 Steps for Using Databases

7 Steps for Using Library Databases

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1. Library website
   • Select Library Resources and Databases from the Research tab
2. Choose a database
   • If you know the name of the database, select Library Resources A to Z.
   • If you are not sure of what database to use, select Library Resources
     by Subject.
3. Set search limits
   • Check the box next to Scholarly or Peer Reviewed to only search for journal articles.
   • Limit to recently published information (3-5 years).
4. Use keywords
   • Only use the main points of the topic as your keywords.
   • Keywords work better in databases than phrases or questions to give you more control over your search.
5. Search tips
   • Use AND to combine your main keywords together
   • Use OR when similar terms are used interchangeably
   • Use NOT to eliminate a keyword in your results
6. Abstract or full text
   • An abstract is only a summary of a journal article.
   • Full-text is the entire article. You can print, cite email or save a full-text article in a database.
7. Interlibrary Loan
   • Articles not in full-text can be requested through an Interlibrary Loan from the 360 Link.
   • Articles will be delivered in 2-72 hours to your Trocaire email.