There is no universal database that covers EVERYTHING so make sure you use multiple databases. Different databases cover different time periods, subjects, and materials and you will get different results in different databases.
Google Scholar is easy to use but inefficient. With a little practice you'll get better results in less time using a more specialized database such those listed on this page. You can also book an appointment with me if you'd like help or suggestions.
if you're really lucky one of these might work for your biography project.
Try using multiple search strategies together. You can combine Boolean operators, truncation, nesting (parentheses), phrases, and more to create highly specific searches, reducing the number of irrelevant results you'll need to sift through. The Search Tips and Tricks page gives examples and explanations of each technique.
Many article databases will also let you do proximity searching. This is when you specify that two (or more) of your search terms should appear close to each other in each of your results. This is more specific than using Boolean AND which only specifies that all terms should appear somewhere in your results, but not how close together should be.
The way to format this kind of search is different in each database but the help or support page will provide the details on how to format your search. For example, if you want search results that only include the word "women" within 2 words of "STEM" you would format it as:
women N2 STEM for Academic Search Ultimate and as women PRE/2 STEM for PsycINFO
The number of words away can be customized to be smaller or larger depending on the topic and how close together the words tend to appear in relevant results.
The library's collections and services are available to all ISU students, faculty, and staff and Parks Library is open to the public.
