Use keywords that describe your topic or descriptive terms from your thesis statement. For primary source documents, such as a study or report, include those terms in the search. Examples:

• opens new windowcaffeine AND Parkinson's disease (MEDLINE results; keyword search)
• opens new windowcaffeine AND Parkinson's disease AND study (MEDLINE results; keyword search)
• opens new windowMH "Parkinson Disease" AND caffeine AND study (MEDLINE results; MH=medical subject heading)
• opens new windowcaffeine AND Parkinson's disease AND study (ScienceDirect results; keyword search)

Combine previous searches with another search or new terms. In EBSCO databases use the Search History show/hide link to view a list of your previous searches.

When looking for an article listed in a bibliography or reference list, you can locate it by searching its title or using key information such as the author's name, journal name, or publication date.

A Boolean Operator is a word that communicates search functions. AND, OR, and NOT are the Boolean operators used in searching databases to combine terms and search more efficiently.

AND = Results contain BOTH terms.
OR = Results contain EITHER term.
NOT = Results have the first term(s), but not the term following NOT.

Database Limiters:

• Use the database limiters listed on the Advanced Search page to refine your search.
• Eliminate issues with variant spelling using truncation (*).

What are your paper requirements? Set relevant limits, such as Date, Scholarly Peer-Reviewed articles, and other limiters to refine your search.

Remember to use subject headings or the thesaurus terms in your searching.