Access to full text is similar to access to a bibliographic citation, but keyword searching will include every part of the article, not just the abstract or subject heading. This makes searching in a full text database more difficult. When you have identified your topic of research, list all possible keywords for describing your topic. Choosing precise keywords is an important step in beginning your search process. Electronic databases use subject headings similar to those in a print index.
Many electronic databases have a list, or thesaurus of subject headings.
Although the use of the thesaurus subject headings can be by-passed by doing keyword searching, you will usually have more precise results in using the controlled vocabulary of the thesaurus. Using them will make your search more focused. The two most common Boolean operators are AND and OR . The AND operator allows you to retrieve records in which both search concepts appear. Using the AND operator will narrow your search.