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Build Your Best Search - Class Activity
Database Search Tips
Database search tips:
Example question: How could artificial intelligence affect employment?
- Type AND between each keyword to ensure results address all key concepts:
artificial intelligence AND employment
- Use quotation marks to ensure phrases or connected words stay together:
"artificial intelligence" AND employment
- Use synonyms and related terms to broaden your search and see new results:
"artificial intelligence" AND jobs
"artificial intelligence" AND unemployment
"artificial intelligence" AND underemployment
Try it step by step:
- What is your research question?
- Does social media promote anxiety among teenagers?
- Identify the key concepts. These are the parts of your question that are essential to your research.
- Does social media promote anxiety among teenagers?
- Brainstorm synonyms and related terms for each key concept - these will be potential keywords for your searches
- Social media: social networks, Instagram, TikTok
- Anxiety: stress, fear, worry
- Teenagers: teens, adolescents, young adults
- Use the database search tips to put it all together. You should have multiple options to search with
- Example search: "social media" AND anxiety AND teenagers
- Example search: "social networks" AND stress AND teens
- Example search: TikTok AND anxiety AND "young adults"
- Use the database filters to narrow down your result list to the most relevant sources.
- Don't forget: research is an iterative process. That means that what you learn from one search can impact your next search. Refining or tweaking your search - or even your topic - based on what you find in your search results is a normal part of the research process.
Top Databases for ENG111/ESL95
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Opposing Viewpoints (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new windowEssays, magazines, journals, newspapers, statistics, primary sources; focus is on controversial issues. (VCCS)
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ProQuest Research Library & Global Newsstream This link opens in a new windowLarge collection of magazines, journals, and newspapers, including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and many regional newspapers. (NVCC)
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Issues & Controversies This link opens in a new windowDetailed reports on controversial issues in the news. (VCCS)
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Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window(Formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) includes full-text encyclopedias, handbooks, and other sources for multidisciplinary research. (VIVA, NVCC)
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EBSCOhost – All Databases This link opens in a new windowThe main EBSCOhost landing page to browse or search multiple EBSCOhost databases at the same time.
Search the Library Catalog
When Searching the Library Catalog
The Library Catalog Books & eBooks search will look for books available at NOVA campus libraries and online.
Tip: In your list of results, use the filters to limit your results to a specific campus or to online books.
The Library Catalog Everything search looks for:
- books
- videos
- articles from newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, and encyclopedias
Tip: Because Everything searches most of the library's databases simultaneously, including Proquest and EBSCO (on the Home page of this guide), you will usually get a lot of results. Use filters, such as Peer-reviewed Journals, Source Type, and Publication Date, to reduce your number of results.