 Getting the most out of article databases is a little different than the Google and Google Scholar searches you may be used to. But with a few quick tips and strategies, you can become an expert at quickly finding what you need from an article database. Each database is a little bit different, so in this video we have put together a list of strategies designed to help you use common features found in most academic databases. Feel free to open up a new browser window if you'd like to follow along with your favorite database. First, find the search option that lets you construct your search using multiple search boxes. Some databases call this advanced search, while others let you construct your search this way right from the home page. Next, enter your search terms. We recommend putting each core concept for your search term on a different line. Join each separate line with and to make sure your finding article is related to all of your core concepts. Next, add synonyms and similar terms for each core concept to each line. Join similar terms with or. This approach lets you find articles using a variety of keywords for each core concept. And here's another tip. If you find yourself typing a bunch of words that have slightly different endings, most databases let you save time by using an asterisk to find alternate endings. Before you click that search button, take a look and see if the database you are using gives you any search filters on the search screen. These search filters can be very useful for narrowing your search results. For example, if you know that you need a particular kind of information or that all of your sources need to have been published within a certain date range, you can often set those filters right away. Check out your options and then click search. Remember, you can always come back to change these options in a future search. On the search results page, you'll usually be able to quickly see how many results you found at the top of the page. If you haven't found any results at this point, you'll want to back up and try your search again, using broader search terms and perhaps removing any search filters you may have set. Don't worry, searching several times is an important part of the research process. More than likely, though, you'll have quite a few results at this point. This is why the search filters are useful. They help you narrow and refine your search results. You'll usually find them hiding on the left or right side of the page. You can usually filter by information type and many databases even let you filter by subject or discipline, making it much easier to narrow down your results. Using the disciplinary filters can help you get a bigger interdisciplinary perspective on your topic. Also look for your sorting options. Often databases allow you to choose whether to sort by the most relevant and most recent results. Some databases even allow you to sort your results by most cited, which can help you find articles that have been read and mentioned by other researchers in the field. At this point, you're ready to try out several different search terms, filters, and strategies. You don't have to try to construct one perfect search. Instead, plan on trying several experimental searches. Every time you search, look for new ideas and directions to guide your future searches. For example, try out a search using opposite terms for one or more of your core concepts. This can help you see if there are researchers who have found different results or who are approaching your topic from a different direction. As you search, check out titles and abstracts to determine which articles you're interested in learning more about. If you find an article you like, look for the link that allows you to download the full text of the article. This link will sometimes be called UCE-links, a bright orange button which can help you track down the full text of the article. Sometimes UCE-links takes you directly to the full text of the article. Other times, it lists off a few resources which may have the full text. If you're having trouble tracking down the full text of the article, let us know. We can help you find it or, if necessary, request it from another library. Looking for help with the next steps? Drop by one of our many library locations to set up a consultation.