How to Choose and Use Databases

Too few results means you'll need to consider trying...

Limits, Synonyms, Multiple Databases

• Remove all your limiters. 
• Think of more synonyms for your topic.  Keep your synonyms on the same line and connect them with OR.
• Search a different database. 
• Search multiple databases at once.
• Broaden your topic.  
• Remove the least important piece of your topic.

Citation Search

In the Past...

As long as you find one good scholarly article or book, you can look up the works cited in the footnotes or bibliography to find the sources it's based upon.  Generally the sources in the bibliography will be relevant to your topic--it is to your benefit to use them.  The only problem with this is that works in the bibliography will be "older" than the article in hand.  

In the Future...

You can also follow citations in the future, that is, those works that have cited your article AFTER it's been published by looking up who cited the work you have. Google Scholar is excellent for this.  Paste your article title into Google Scholar; and click on the cited by link underneath the article title.