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Electronic Searching (Online, CD-ROM,
Online Catalog)--Exploring a Database

Use this guide as a way to learn how to search any bibliographic (identifies sources) database. When you have found the answers to these questions, you should be able to search the database well beyond a basic level.

Database name:___________________________________________

  1. Are all the years available in one disk or by selecting one menu choice? If not, how do you select the disk or years you want to search? (e.g. press enter, press space bar-then enter)

    Are you able to search more than one set of years?


  2. Summarize the description of the database's contents (if available) from the initial screen by selecting Information or About (as word or icon), or through the help screen (question #3). Does the database contain articles? books? proceedings? what subject areas are covered?:



  3. What key or icon do you press to get help? ________________(e.g. F1, Help icon)


  4. At the search prompt, type in the word research. How many items are found?______________
    (if there are 0, try study or experiment, to get a result greater than zero).


  5. How do you display or show the full record (complete citation) for items in the database? ___________
    (e.g. press F4, select hyperlinked title or other hyperlinked term such as View or Complete Record).


  6. Go through a few records. How do you get from one item to the next? ___________ (e.g. Page Down, "Next" icon, forward arrow icon)


  7. Look at the way several records are displayed. How does the database indicate the author of items? The title? The journal or source? (e.g. AU:, TI:, JN:; Author, Title, Source)




-->To locate an article, you need the bibliographic citation for it. The citation includes the author, title of the article, journal name, volume, pages, and date.


-->For a book you need the author, title, city of publication, publisher, and date.


  1. Enter the citation for one of the articles found above:



  2. How are subject headings or descriptors identified in the database? _____________
    (e.g. DE:, Subjects:)


  3. Are you able to modify or limit your search results? _______________If yes, how?



  4. How do you return to the main search screen to do a new search?__________
    (e.g. Esc, F, Main Search, "Search" icon)


  5. Find out if the database supports Boolean operators. (Boolean operators are AND, OR, and NOT [sometimes AND NOT or NO]. AND narrows a search, OR broadens a search, NOT/NO eliminates items.) Do a two word search for something that interests you. Write your terms (words) in the blanks. In your first search put AND between the terms and in the second search put OR; record your results. (Some databases may have a different way to do this--note your results!)

      Term 1: _________________________

      Term 2: _________________________


      a. Search Term 1 -- Results:___________________ If fewer than 5, select another term


      b. Search Term 2 -- Results:___________________ If fewer than 5, select another term


      c. Search: Term 1 AND Term 2 -- Results: ___________________


      d. Search: Term 1 OR Term 2 -- Results: ____________________


      The AND search usually results in fewer items than a search for either term. An OR search can have up to the total of the two terms together. Use AND to make a more precise search (for example: cookery and Italian). Use OR to increase the number of items found (for example: classic or modern).

  6. Does the database include the full text (complete article) of some or all of the articles? ___Yes--selected ___ Yes--all ___ No. If yes, do the articles include illustrations, or, indicators for tables and images? ___ Illustrations ___ indicators (such as [IMAGE], [TABLE])


  7. How do you print what you find? _________________ (e.g. "Print" icon, Mark/Tag records first, then show and print)


  8. Do some searches on a topic in the database (see your answer to #2), using the answers you wrote above as your guide. Write your searches and results below:




  9. Searchers who wish to be more precise may want to find out if truncation and proximity operators are available. Look in the help screens to find out about these.

    • Truncation is a mechanism for searching multiple terms that begin with a desired prefix. For example, "build" with a truncation symbol will search for build, building, buildings, builder, etc. The symbol varies from database to database. Frequently it is an asterisk (*), dollar sign ($), or plus sign (+). In some databases, truncation is used to search for the root word only. Read the help screens in the database for exact details.

    • Proximity operators are a way to ensure that the search terms appear next to one another, within a certain number of words, or appear in the same sentence, paragraph, or field. "With" and "near" may have different meanings, depending on the database, so again, read the help screens for details.

  10. How do you exit the database?___________________________________ (e.g., Quit, Logoff, "Exit" icon)

How to do Library Research

Comments/Suggestions: Naomi Lederer