When typing words into database search boxes, you want to be as precise as possible. Think of talking to a database as talking to a two-year-old. Just like a two-year-old, the database needs explicit instructions.
To best accomplish this, there are some key conventions to use when searching in databases:
(1) Nest related terms in parenthesis, using "OR" between them. This tells the database to look for any of those terms
ex. (ethnicity OR race)
(2) Put phrases (search terms of more than one word) in quotation marks. This tells the database to look for that exact phrase.
ex. "video games"
(3) Link nested sets of related terms with AND. This tells the database to look for sources that have at least one term from each set.
ex. (ethnicity OR race) AND ("video games" OR gaming)