Answered By: Cathy Goodwin Last Updated: May 15, 2017 Views: 33
Try using a variety of words related to the topic. For example, if you are researching the cultural identity of the United States, instead of just searching under "cultural identity," also try "melting pot." Databases allow you to do advanced searches using different fields, like keyword, author, subject, etc. If you are trying to find a work by a certain author, try typing the author's name in the author field and the title of the work in the title or keyword field. Or, if, for example, you are trying to find information on The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, you can search both under keyword.
For more information on how to search by keyword, please watch the TILT Information Literacy Tutorial.
Also check out the Database LibGuide on how to search databases.