OMP: Online Master's in Psychology

Searching databases can be tricky and take some practice to get used to. Here are 3 tips that might help you in your searching!

• Use keywords instead of phrases:

  • When using databases to search, enter only the main concepts for your project. Adding in additional words or phrases can limit your search. 

    • If your research question is "what are the impact of social media on mental health?"

      • Example terms:

        • For social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok

        • For mental health: depression, anxiety 

• Boolean operators: 

  • Boolean operators are used to connect search terms to better broaden or narrow your search.

    • AND: Terms will BOTH be present in each article. Use to connect core concepts. Narrows your search.

    • OR: Each article will contain AT LEAST ONE of the searched terms. Use to connect synonyms. Broadens your search. 

  • Example (using the research question above): 

    • ("Social media" OR "Instagram" OR "facebook" OR "TikTok") AND ("mental health" OR "Depression" OR "Anxiety") 

• Thesauri:

  • Many databases have specific vocabulary that is used to identify articles on that topic. Using a combination of your keywords and controlled vocabulary can be incredibly helpful in your search. 

    • APA PsycNET's thesaurus is located in the blue banner above the advanced search 

    • In PubMED, it is called the MESH Database and is located at the bottom of the page