I'm searching for articles in ACE OneSearch, but there's nothing on my topic. Am I doing something wrong?
Answer
You are not doing anything wrong!
Academic databases understand language differently than our everyday speech. It is possible that you just need to tweak the search terms you are using. Here are some tips:
- Use keywords connected together by "and" rather than full sentences. For example, try education and leadership and middle schools rather than "Where do I find examples of educational leadership in middle schools?"
- Be specific about what you want to learn. Can you narrow down a topic by age range, region, or grade level?
- For specific phrases, put them in quotations so the database knows to search for that specific phrase.
- What are other ways people describe your topic? Try similar keywords in different search combinations.
VIDEO: How to Search the ACE Library
PDF: How to Search the ACE Library
VIDEO: How to Perform a Keyword Search