How to Search the Databases
First, we have to figure out what database to use! There are lots of them!
The Walker Databases all list what they’re about before you pick one.
The MARVEL Databases all have an “About” link to the left that tells all about them, OR on the upper-left of the page, you can click on a subject and it will show you all the right databases to search!
After that it looks a lot like a regular web-search, and you can try your search that way. If that doesn’t find what you want right away, there are some tricks you can use to help! The first trick is to check the language they use. Some databases will use what is called “Natural Language”. This means that you should search them just like the web, with words just like you’d say them.
Other databases will use “Controlled Vocabulary”. For example, a database with controlled vocabulary may look at articles both on Global Warming, and on Climate Change. Both can mean the same thing, so the database might file them all under Climate Change, so you can find them all at once rather than searching both
The best way to start out with Controlled Vocabulary is to look closer at anything you find that’s CLOSE to what you want, and try using the terms that apply from it!
For more great tips on how to search the databases, check the other sections through the buttons at the top!
