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ENG 111: College Composition I (AL-Stoneman)

Direct comments to aanderson@nvcc.edu

Article Databases

Search Tips

Select the most important 2-4 words related to your topic.  Put the word AND between each new word or idea; this tells the database to look for resources with ALL your terms.

deforestation AND orangutans


Use quotation marks ( "  " ) around phrases (two or more words); this tells the database to look for the words right next to each other.

"palm oil" AND deforestation


Use the asterisk (*) to truncate a word; this tells the database to look for all words that have the same base.  In the example below, search results would include "governance" and "governing."

"drinking water" AND govern*

Use synonyms and related terms:

"global warming" AND"ice melt"
"global warming" AND glaciers
"global warming" AND "arctic ice"

Look at the number of results.
Too Many: Add keywords or be more specific.
Too Few: Change keywords or make them more broad.

Ask for help! 
Librarians are happy to help!