ESCC Learning Resource Center: Academic Search Complete: Search Tips

Search Tips

Boolean | Choosing Multiple Databases | Linked Full Text

Boolean

Academic Search Complete does not assume an "AND" between your terms. If you type in several search terms, you may or may not find what you are looking for.

To help limit your searches, try using Boolean connectors. The main connectors are AND, OR, and NOT.

AND means that you want only articles that have all the words connected by AND.

OR means that you will accept articles with either word connected by OR. This is handy for words that are synonymous with each other such as dogs OR canines.

NOT means you don't want any of the words after NOT. For example, the search computer NOT programming will only find articles that have the word "computer" but don't have the word "programming."

Hint: To search for names and/or phrases, use quotation marks around your terms. This tells the computer to search for the words in the exact order you have them. Example: "computer programming"

Hint: When using multiple Boolean terms in a single search, you may wish to group your terms by parenthesis. This is especially true if you are using OR. Example: (dog OR canine) NOT wolves

To learn more about Boolean searching, check out this resource from the New York Public Library, What is Boolean Search? Here is an example of Boolean in a Basic Search:

Choosing Multiple Databases

There are current 63 EBSCOhost databases. Not only are they all set up pretty much the same way, but you can search all 63 or any combination of them at the same time.

At the top of the main search box is a link that says "Choose Databases."

Once you click on the "Choose Databases" link, a new window will pop up listing all EBSCO databases. Here you can pick and choose which databases you want to search or hit the "Select/Deselect All" option. Note: The more databases you search, the slower it tends to run.

For most databases, you can tell what subject(s) they cover just by its name. However, this is not always the case. To learn more about any databse, click on the Icon icon next to the database name. You may also click on "Detailed View" to look at the list with a brief description of each database shown.

Full Text

Once you've performed a search with your keywords, you can access the full text of articles and e-books. Just click on "full text available."

You'll be able to access full text by clicking on any link under "View Online." This particular article is available from three different sources.

For e-books, after you click on "online access" and then the link under "View Online," you'll be asked to supply your institution's name (Eastern Shore Community College) from the drop down menu. You may have to log-in with your MyESCC credentials. Then you'll be redirected to the book, where you can choose to read it online or download it.