Enter in Keywords!
Keywords or key terms are the words used in a search box in a database
Keywords are the language that our database understands.
Scenario: You are interested in learning more about the music used in horror films.
Your Topic: Music in Horror Films
Your keywords to search in the database: Music and "Horror Films"
Quotation marks are good to use when searching for phrases, because it tells the database to search for the WHOLE phrase!
"horror films" - "horror cinema" - "horror music" , etc.
Remember: Academic Databases do not work like Google. You cannot ask it a question and expect useful results.
Always create a list of keywords to get started!
Santa Clara University has access to 300 databases!
Access to ALL databases are here: https://libguides.scu.edu/az.php
Our databases consists of Multidisciplinary databases and Subject-Specific databases.
Here are two examples:
Multidisciplinary Databases (are general databases that cover all topics/subjects)
Academic Search Complete This multidisciplinary database provides access to over 5,600 active full-text journals and over 6,500 open access journals. Covers topics that range from business, education, social sciences, humanities, engineering, and science. Coverage varies, updates also vary.
Subject Specific Databases (covers a specific topic/subject)
Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text This database provides access to articles and other materials related to film and television research. Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews.
Scenario 1: If you interested in searching for information on Horror films, you might consider using the Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text database, because you are searching for something specific like films.
Scenario 2: If you are searching for Horror Music Composers, you might consider Academic Search Complete, because it is a more general database and/or you could one of our music databases.