Finding Articles in a Database

After you've selected a database, start by making a broad search. Try searching for 3-4 keywords. Keep these terms general at first, modifying them based on your results. Even articles that are close to what you want may help locate more useful sources.

If you're writing a paper comparing two topics but only find articles talking about those topics individually, they may still be worth reading.
The most successful searchers try several different searches. As you read the articles in the results, keep track of new search terms to try, and then repeat your searches with these new ideas. In this example, you might add in the terms economic, environmental, or manufacturing to see how your search results change.

Here is an example of the first search for electric cars. Notice how the search is limited on the right to just articles from peer-reviewed journals:

The search box says "electric car benefits". The "Peer-reviewed Journals" filter is active.

Many of the articles in databases are full-text. This means you're able to read the article right away, usually as a PDF file or a website. However, sometimes you will find a stub, citation, or abstract instead. In these cases, you will need to request the full article through Interlibrary Loan.