Most databases will allow you to do more advanced searches, in which you can specify more than one keyword and the fields in which you want the keywords to appear. Advanced screens can also be used to do Boolean searches. If you have a reference to an article or essay and want to find a full-text version online, advanced searching can help you locate the specific reference. As a general rule, in targeted searches it is better to use as few keywords as possible, since the larger the number of exact keyword matches that you ask the database to make, the greater the chances that relevant sources may be excluded because terms or names are not in exactly the same form in the database as they are in your search screens.
A general piece of advice: help screens are your friend. Although most databases are capable of performing the same search functions, they all employ different terminology and methods to accomplish these. The best way to determine how a particular database uses search vocabulary is to consult its help screen. Some time this information can be found below the advanced search dialog box (as in the Fenwick Library online catalog and Lexis-Nexis); sometimes it is on a separate screen. Once you understand the kinds of functions that databases can perform and learn to speak the same "search language" as the database, you will be able to maximize your chances of finding relevant sources
Click the links below for some specific examples of using advanced search screens:
Advanced Searching in Lexis-Nexis.
Advanced Searching in Expanded Academic ASAP.
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