Searching library databases is different than searching Google. 
Google has a single search box. No matter WHAT you type in, you’ll get results. 
This is because Google is a business that gets paid when you click on links, 
no matter if that link is going to be helpful to you or not. 
By contrast, databases are designed to only give you relevant results. 
That means you have to put a little more thought into your keywords, 
but you are almost guaranteed to get high-quality and scholarly content for your efforts. 
If there aren’t results that contain your keywords, you just don’t get any results. 
The library pays for access to databases because they contain focused and important material – 
databases do not profit off your clicks, like Google does.
What’s especially interesting about databases is that the more words you put in, 
the fewer results you receive. 
This is because databases are very literal. 
They only give you results that contain your exact keywords, 
and they don’t generally correct your spelling.
Here’s an example search. 
Suppose I’m writing a paper about water on Mars. 
If I put in whole sentences like I would with Google, I don’t get any results. 
But, when I only put in the most important keywords of my topic 
AND I put them into separate boxes, it works better.
In fact, databases have tons of helpful features to help you find the best research. 
You can sort your results by Newest to Oldest, 
you can limit to just Scholarly/Peer Reviewed Journals, 
you can change the publication date to just look at articles in the last few years.
If the database does not have the full-text of an article, 
just click the Find It button to see if another database has the full-text. 
No matter what, you can always get the full-text of an article for free using our Interlibrary Loan service.
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