Articles have smaller scopes than books and are about more specific topics. Some instructions for searching most databases for articles are included on this page. For searching JSTOR, please see that page in this guide.
A database is searched by creating a search query. A search query should be made up of search terms chosen from your research question.
Example research question: How did the introduction of modern high schools in the United States affect the social lives of girls?
Possible search terms: high school, United States, girls, social lives (I would likely also want to define this search by time period - 1920s.)
Not all search terms have to be included in every search.
When I create my search terms, I can broaden or narrow my search depending on what I am looking for and what search results I get. I can also search by synonyms or the same term from a different perspective.
| Original term | Broader term | Narrower term | Synonyms |
| High School | public schools | private high schools | secondary school |
| United States | North America | New York | |
| Girls | adolescents | Black girls | women, adolescent women, female children |
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!