How To: Find Sources

Choosing the right database to search can be tricky. There are general databases that contain information about every subject and those that are focused on particular topics or types of resources (reference collections, newspapers, etc.).

We recommend first searching the main general databases accessible through WNC:

To identify other databases that will be particularly useful for your search:

• Consult the subject guide for the subject of interest, the WNC librarians have recommended specific databases for researching each subject.
• Review the full Database A-Z list to see the descriptions of each database available through WNC.

If you need further assistance finding resources, please contact us at refdesk@wnc.edu.

Basic searches are those that use your own search terms or keywords in a single search bar to find information. This casts a wide search net, which will produce a greater number of results than an advanced search.

From the main library page, you can do a basic search with the Search Everything function.

This is particularly useful if you want to retrieve information from a variety of sources or if you aren't sure what terms to use in your search. You can then use the results your receive to locate subject terms, authors, etc.                                   

The drawbacks of a basic search are that you may receive information about unrelated topics that use the same terms or too many results, making it difficult to sort through and find the ones that are most relevant to your purposes. 

Advanced Search 

Most search engines and databases have either advanced or modify search options. In general, you will be able to specify the following types of information:

1. Search functions for adding or excluding terms 
2. Language
3. Review Status
4. Document type
5. Publication type
6. Date of publication or most recent update
7. Licensing or usage rights

In the EBCSO databases, these functions can be found here:

Use as many or as few of these options as you need to customize the results that you are receiving.

Try using the subject and/or geographic terms listed under an article's title to find more articles focused on the same subject or to find out what terms may be useful for you to use in your searches. Author supplied keywords are also useful, but generally will not return as many results as the subject term links.