To find articles on your topic in a database, start with a keyword search. If the first keyword you try results in no matches, experiment with synonyms or ask a librarian for suggestions. For example, if you’re searching for sources on a topic related to education, you might also want to try the terms teaching, learning, pedagogy, and curriculum.
If your keyword search results in too many matches, narrow it. Search engines and databases offer both basic and advanced search options that make it easy to refine your search. Pay attention to the options on the screen. You can restrict your search in the following ways (and more):
What kind of document to look for: journal article, review, news article, interview, case study, blog
Where to look: in the title, author field, abstract, or full text
What time period to look within
You can also exclude things you do not want to search for. For example, you may know you do not want to read a dissertation. You can exclude such items in an advanced search.
Refining keyword searches in databases and search engines