Search Tips
Search Filters
Use search filters to narrow your search. Each database is different, but look for:
- Full Text: Limits results to sources that are available in full. (You can read it now).
- Scholarly / Peer Reviewed: Also called refereed, limits results to articles from peer reviewed journals. These articles are reviewed by experts in the field and considered scholarly sources.
- Publication Date: Limit results to a specific date range. This is important if you need current information.
- Source Types: Limit results by source type. This is very useful when you are looking for a specific type of source (e.g. academic journal articles, newspaper articles).
Boolean Operators
Combine multiple search terms using AND and related terms using OR. Always use parentheses with OR statements. For example, if you search Black Lives Matter AND (social media OR Twitter) AND activism your search must include Black Lives Matter, activism and either social media or Twitter in the results.
Phrase Searching
You can also keep words together using quotation marks. For example, searching "Black Lives Matter" searches for those three words together instead of searching separately for Black, lives, and matter.
Truncation
You can search multiple endings by truncating your search. Not all databases are the same, but typically you can use an asterisk. For example, activis* searches for activist, activism
