database results

To make sure you have found an item that will be useful, you will need to:

• Check the publication date. Is it recent enough? Is this important for your topic?
• Is it the right type of information? Some databases include book reviews* which will not be appropriate material.
• Check the length of the article. Very short articles will not cover the topic in sufficient detail.

not enough or too many results?

Check your steps so far.

Too few results: consider using a different database, or ask yourself if there is an alternative spelling, or alternative word, for the term you have used.

Too many results: you may need to refine your search by including more terms, or more specific terms.

Click here for some tips on refining your search.

Kath, General Education teacher

"I took my class to the library to search databases for information on their chosen topics on Australian history.

The librarian explained that InfoTrac would not be the best database to use. He told us about ELibrary Australasia, which has articles on Australian topics from encyclopedias and magazines.

The students also used Picture Australia to download illustrations. They were blown away to find what they could get online."