Searching Databases Cheat Sheet: Step 4

Limit Your Search

You can limit your search in many ways. Limiting your search will help you narrow down numerous search results to a manageable number or remove specific items you don’t want (I.E. items older than 5 years ago). The options listed below are the most helpful limits you can use:

►Date

►Scholarly Journals/Trade Journals

Removes news and general interest magazines

►Peer reviewed

Scientific, academic, or professional articles only

►Reviews of a work

Book and article reviews

►Book/article

►Full-text only

Removes abstracts

Limit Before Search (located below the search bars)

Limit after the Search (located to the left of the results)

Don’t Give Up!

Your first search may not always be successful. When that happens, try again.

►Change or remove search fields.

►Change or reorder your search terms.

►Read the guides or watch the videos about that specific database

If after all that, you still have trouble, come talk to a librarian!