Guide to Science Information Resources

Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) Database Interface

The main search page for a database is called its interface.  The appearance of one database interface may look different than that of another; however, an interface generally has the following features:

• Search Field:  enter keywords or terms that describe a topic.
• Boolean Operators:  using the terms AND (to combine 2 keywords), OR (search for one keyword or an alternative one), or NOT (find one keyword but exclude another from results) in a search.  Databases generally default to AND.
• Select a Field:  look for a keyword within certain fields, such as author, title, or publication title.
• Limiters:  narrow a search to find information with certain characteristics, such as being full text only, a peer reviewed journal, or publication type.
• Search:  the button that executes a database search.