Search Tips for Find Databases

Find Databases links to hundreds of different online resources -- periodical indexes, catalogs, directories, dictionaries and encyclopedias.  Please note that Find Databases provides access to a relatively small portion of the full Cornell Library collection. To access all materials available from Cornell University Library, including other reference resources, search the Library Catalog. Click here for information about the CUL catalog.

To find a resource, you can Search or Browse.  See Searching Tips and Browsing Tips below:  

Searching Tips:

• Looking for articles and information in "Find Databases" is a two-step process:

  1. General:a keyword or subject search in the "Find Databases" search box should be conducted using general terms or subject areas, (e.g., "philosophy" instead of "plato"). You can also search for the name of the database, if it is known (e.g., Worldcat).
  2. Specific:More specific searches are done within the databases retrieved in step 1. (e.g., if you are looking for articles and information about Plato, select one of the databases you found using "philosophy," such as Philosophy Online Serials or the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, connect to it and type in "Plato" in the search box within that database.

• Title Searching:
  If you know the title of the database or reference resource you wish to use, just type the title into the Search box , choose Database Name or Keyword from the dropdown menu, and click the Search button. Once you have identified the reference resource you are interested in, you can then connect to it by clicking on the title.

• Keyword Searching:
  If you are trying to identify a reference resource for your research, you can do a keyword search using the Search box on the Find Databases page. First, enter a keyword into the search box and click the Search button to find the resource(s).
  
  When you search Find Databases by keyword, only the title and some descriptive information about each database is searched--NOT the complete contents. Therefore, you will need to use broader concepts when you use keywords, e.g. use music instead of violin, or sociology instead of group behavior.

  If you want to search by more specific terms within articles, you must enter a particular database or search Find Articles.

  
  Phrase and Boolean searching: When using more than one search term with the keyword option selected, the words are searched as a phrase. Use AND or OR to specify multiple words in any field, any order. Use AND NOT to exclude words.

  You can also search for words that begin with at least three letters and have any ending. For example, searching "inter*" will match "internal" and "internet." Searching “inter**” will match those words and "international."
  
  

• Subject searching:

  When searching by Database Subject, use broad subject areas. If your search is unsuccessful, try a keyword search or browsing our pre-selected subject areas.