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Research Process: Search Limits in Databases

I have a research project to do, now what? This is a guide that will walk you through the research process, from selecting a topic to putting it all together.

Search Limits

The most common and helpful search filters in a database are the:

  • full text limit (only returns articles you can read the full text of),
  • scholarly/peer reviewed limit (only returns scholarly/peer reviewed articles),
  • publication date limit (to exclude articles older than a certain point, or published within a certain time period).

Looking at the search limits in a particular database can also give you clues about the content of the database. E.g. if you don't see a scholarly/peer reviewed limit, it probably means that the database you are searching is already ONLY scholarly/peer reviewed.

 

Search Options & Refine Results

Limiters may be selected at the start of your search, or you can filter your results from the results page:

Advanced Search screen with the Full-text, date and scholarly/peer reviewed journals limiters hightlighted.   EBSCO Search results "Refine Results" column on the left.