ABSTRACTS DATABASE ONLINE TUTORIAL

Refine Your Search

• Too many hits?
• Not enough hits?

Too many hits?

• Don't use the General Search box. Refine your search using keywords in the title or author field whenever possible. Remember: The Database has more than 220,000 documents to search.
• Limit the search by date. The Database covers literature dating back to the 1960s and earlier.
• Use more specific keywords. Words such as "crime" or "police" will retrieve too many results.
• Choose an ALL or PHRASE search instead of an ANY search.

Not enough hits?

• Use fewer terms. Too many terms can restrict a search.
• Choose an ANY search instead of an ALL or PHRASE search.
• Change one of the search terms to a broader keyword. For example, replace "juvenile gangs" with "gangs."
• Use synonyms or related words with an ANY search.
• Use the "wildcard," include the plural forms of words by typing an asterisk (*) after the search term(s). For example, "prison*" will find "prison," "prisons," "prisoners," and other words with the root word "prison.”
• Look for misspellings in the search terms.

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