Refine your database research

n faster n easier n better

Databases are online collections of citations or full-text articles that are searchable. They’ve been organized for you. The Internet, on the other hand, is like a giant library with all the books thrown on the floor.

Use a thesaurus if the search terms you use don’t work.

Use * at the stem of a word: Swim* searches for swim, swimming, swims.

Use operators such as AND and OR.

Using AND narrows a search and retrieves results with both words. Using OR broadens the search and produces results that contain either of the words.

HOW WE CAN HELP

Look for databases by subject. Because we support every major on campus, librarians have organized resources to suit your needs as a researcher in that field.

By signing into databases published by EBSCO (provided by the University Libraries) you can create a profile to save articles and searches. What’s more, you can search multiple databases at once. (Try Academic Search Ultimate.) Use the “Databases” tab on the search box at lib.umd.edu.

...Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the assignment all by myself, Or to consult a subject guide right from the start...