New Student's Guide to the Library: Database Search Tips & Limiters

Multiple Text Entry Boxes

1. Enter the term(s) for each concept in a separate text box. 

2. Select the appropriate connector from the dropdown box and/or type it into the text box.

Single Text Entry Box

1. Enter the term(s) for each concept in a separate set of parentheses.

2. Type in the appropriate connectors (CAPS required in OneSearch). 

Note: You may be able to use quotation marks for an “exact phrase.”

Use limiters to narrow and focus your results. Typical limiters include:

• text fields -- restrict keywords to a document title, for example, or to subject terms (subject terms can vary from database to database, but using them usually improves the relevance of results)
• scholarly (peer-reviewed) content
• publication date or range
• publication type (periodical, newspaper, etc.)
• document type (article, editorial, book review, etc.)
• language

Caution: Using a full-text limiter in resources other than OneSearch will exclude full-text articles available through Find It @ UHCL.

Note: The more limiters you apply, the smaller your results will be. If they're too small, expand or remove less critical limiters.