Browse:
Select only the most important words and phrases from your topic. Don't include connecting words like "for" or "the," or words like "cause" or "effect" that could be a part of any topic statement.
Search for individual words and phrases, not sentences. Databases don't understand grammar.
Combine terms with AND to narrow your focus. To find info about fur on dogs, search: fur AND dogs.
Combine terms with OR to expand your focus. To find info about fur on either dogs or cats, search: fur AND (dogs OR cats).
In a database, if you were researching:
What is the effect on a dog's fur of eating fish
You could use the database search boxes to enter:
dogs | |
AND | fur OR coat |
AND | fish OR seafood |
In other words:
If you find too few results, try brainstorming new terms or making your topic more general (e.g. dogs --> pets).