A database is a collection of academic journals that can all be searched at one time. To see a list of suggested databases and examples of database search pages, please visit the Finding Articles page of this guide.
Databases are searched by submitting search queries. Search queries are singular search terms or combinations of search terms. Search terms are words or phrases that relate to your research question. They are often important nouns in your research question. You can also use synonyms or related terms.
A database is searched by entering search terms. A database doesn't understand questions, so you will need to break your research question down into usable search terms (and synonyms for those search terms).
Example research question:
How does the type of content (video, image, text) shared by influencers affect consumer engagement?
Turn your research question into search terms.
Look at that article's keywords. Keywords are usually written underneath the article's listing in your search results.
Different databases use different keywords. By reusing the keywords, you are learning to speak that database's "language".
Some databases will give you suggestions for search terms when you start typing in a search box. These are terms that the database absolutely recognizes.
Sometimes, the suggestions will be several terms in the same text box, all separated by the Boolean Operator or. This means that the search engine will search for all those terms at once.
Always check before you select a string of terms. Some of the terms might not be equivalent for your specific research topic!