BUSINESS INFORMATION CENTER

DATABASE SEARCHING TIPS

SEARCH WORDS

•   Write out your search terms - most databases work with keywords that are individual words or phrases, but not sentences
•   Think of both synonyms and antonyms for the topic you are searching.
•   Avoid common words such as "a", "an", or "the" as well as adjectives and adverbs
•   Try not to use a word that is the subject of the database, for instance in a business database you should not use the word "business" unless you quote it as part of a phrase, as in "small business"

LOGIC & NAVIGATION

•   Most databases will automatically "and" any terms you supply together
•   If you need to use other logic, such as "or" or "not", look for an "advanced search" option which may be a button or menu item
•   Some databases allow you to qualify a search by journal title or by a type of journal or by some subgrouping such as "academic journals"
•   Look for special tabs and other features that restrict your search or focus it in a particular direction. Also be aware that educational subscriptions do not always provide access to advanced features, particularly in statistical databases.

PRINTING

•   Many database use Java script to control navigation and formatting, so there is usually a button, perhaps located at the bottom of the page, for printing. These buttons turn the Java off and make it possible for the page to print.
•   In some databases you may have an option to print the citation - this is handy to have the author, title and publication data printed so that you will have it if you need to compile a bibliography.
•   Most databases allow you to save records to a file or email them. This is handy, but test it out, each database company has different mechanisms.