1. Start with a simple search.
Type in the topic, person or place that you need information on. For example,
Choose terms that describe the topic you're looking for. Try to find terms that are not too broad and not too narrow.
If the topic is unfamiliar, do some background research first, to learn more about the topic and potential search terms.
For search term ideas, look to your textbook, or do some background research to learn about the topic and which terms could be used to find information.
2. Add more search terms to refine the search. For example,
3. Use only important words or concepts rather than an entire sentence. For example,
4. Phrase searching.
Many library databases allow for phrase searching with the use of quotes (“). For example,
Search in one of the following business article databases to find articles from newspapers or magazines. Read the database descriptions to learn what kinds of articles each database includes:
Sort your results by Relevance to bring articles that are related to your search terms to the top of the list.
Databases often have various search limiters that can be used to narrow the search. However, it is often not necessary to use all of these. The filters that are most helpful for finding current newspaper and magazine articles are Source Type and Publication Date.
Source Type - Click Magazines or Newspapers
Date - Filter to a specific date range
Remember to cite your sources! Using Microsoft Word’s References feature to create your citations? Learn more about Microsoft Word's References feature:
Note: Microsoft Word uses an older version of MLA (MLA 7th edition), so the citations will differ from the examples on the Seneca Libraries guide. The Seneca Libraries guide is based on current MLA 9th edition.
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