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Try these self-help strategies if you find that your search produced too many results. Librarians are here to help, too! Please Ask a Librarian or use our contact information to get in touch.

Start with a small number of keywords. Then add more terms or try different terms based on your results. Phrasing your search as a question or sentence will often return with results that are not related to your topic.

Use more specific terms or add terms to your search. Sometimes the terms or keywords used are too broad or you haven't included enough terms to focus your search. Brainstorm about more specific terms--your instructor or a librarian can help. Look at the subjects listed on the record of a resource that matches your topic for ideas!

Use the language of the discipline. For example, if you're researching medical marijuana, you might get better results by using "cannabis." Looking at the subject terms listed on a good resource is helpful here, too.

Limit or refine your search results. Most databases by default search by keyword. For more refined results, you can choose specific search fields and focus your search by including more specific information, such as:

• Date or date range (health sciences students often need items published within the last 5 years)
• Subject (this will only look for your keywords in the subject headings)
• Type of resource (maybe you need scholarly articles or you're looking for news pieces)
• Title of the journal (maybe your teacher suggested a few titles of important journals in the field)

Choose a more narrow focus for your topic, especially if a lot has been written about it. For example, if you are researching the affects of television on  children, you might choose a specific age range such as 2-5 years old.

Use the advanced search feature. Sometimes this allows you greater control over your search and produces better results.