"or" can be used to broaden your search. For example, sister or brother will return more results than just one of those terms
"and" will narrow your search. For example, sister and brother means that both terms have to be present in the article.
The asterisk "*" picks up various endings of a word. For example, teen* will retrieve teen, teens, teenager, teenagers. The asterisk works in most library databases when searching for articles.
Other Useful Database Features
FindIt@SCU Libraries - tells you if the full-text is available in a different database or if you should request the article through interlibrary loan (ILL). Such requests usually take 1-2 business days and are free.
Permalink - provides a permanent link to the article. The regular URL is just temporary.
Cite - provides citations to the article in different styles (e.g., MLA, APA). Sometimes there are mistakes so check to make sure the citation is accurate.
Add to Folder - you can add articles to a folder and then email them to yourself before you finish. Or, you can go to the blue bar at the top and create an account which will allow you to save the articles in a folder indefinitely. You can create folders for multiple research projects. You can also save searches to your folder.
Search History - located under the three search boxes, this link allows you to see all the searches you did in this session. You can save this record to your folder by clicking on "Save Searches/Alerts."