Looking to Write Better Papers? 

I'm sure there are quite a few of you learning or tutoring study skills who are familiar with databases, but have you ever wanted a quick and easy resource? As a tutor, I would be beside myself if I could not share this huge boon when it comes to studying and researching for any project or writing assignments. Today we will be going over how to search in a research database, like EBSCO or ProQuest. These resources are often provided by your school, whether you are still in K-12 or are attending college. These tools are invaluable for any papers you need to write for your classes, whether it is a standard research paper, or another type of informative or persuasive essay. Getting comfortable with these tools is a sure-fire way of succeeding in your classes and utilizing these resources only takes a couple of steps. 

 First, you need to be able to find your school's databases! Usually, these databases are located on the school's library website, underneath either a dedicated "Research" or "Databases" tab. From there, sometimes there are so many options that it can seem overwhelming. If you are having trouble with this step, always feel free to reach out to your writing tutor(s) for help – I can guarantee that we have all dealt with databases many times before and are happy to assist you. Just remember that those resources are there to help you while you are writing your paper. There are specialized databases about specific topics, like politics, history, or education. I always suggest starting with a more general database like Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) and ProQuest when first starting your research into a new topic. The trick to research is to start your searches in a wide lens and then narrow down to your topic from there. 

 

Once you enter a database, if you are unfamiliar with them, you will see quite an imposing search bar looming across the page. Where do we go from there? Well, start with your generic search and make sure to use every formatting trick in the book! Databases respond well to the use of Boolean Operators, or the word "AND" and "OR" written just like that: held between quotation marks and in all caps. Let's say you are doing a research paper on the thirteen British colonies in North America during the American Revolution; you might want to put colonies "AND" American Revolution in your search bar just to see what will come out. The database will automatically limit the results to sources that contain both terms. 

While we are on the subject, quotation marks are powerful when using a database. Going back to our previous example of the colonies during the American Revolution, you may need to narrow your search to just one or two colonies. If we pick, let's say, Virginia, you will get great database results from searching "Virginia during the American Revolution", you will get more specific results that contain that exact phrase. 

Databases have easy-to-use functions that will help you keep all your sources in order by allowing you to save them or email them to yourself. Most databases also have a citation feature! This can make creating difficult citations easy and stress-free, but always remember to double check them and contact your tutor(s) if you have any concerns. Sometimes these features can be placed in different areas depending on the specific database, but once you get the hang of using them a few times, you will be able to find them wherever you are researching! 

I know this is a lot of information written for you to reach all at once, so I have this easy video I created to help assist you while you walk through this process. Keep in mind that this resource is just one in maybe to help your researching journey and all of us at FrogTutoring are here to help if you have any trouble finding what you need or get lost on the way. 

Happy Researching!