Skip to Main Content
ARC Logo

Library Research Guides

ENGWR 300 - Professor Goldbar (Fall 2023): EBSCO: Articles & Newspapers

What Is a Database & Why Should I Use EBSCO Search?

What is a database?

A library database is an online searchable collection of information. Libraries buy subscriptions to databases so students can find useful and interesting information. 

Library databases contain information like: 

  • newspaper articles
  • magazine articles
  • scholarly peer-reviewed articles

Why Should I Use EBSCO Search?

EBSCO is a research tool that is searches several databases simultaneously, so you can find the newspapers, peer-reviewed articles, and magazine in one simple search!

How Do I Use It?

View the 4 steps outlined below in "How to Use EBSCO Search". 

Here's the Fun Part

Practice what you've learned by click on the EBSCO Search button and inputting the 1-3 keywords you used in the other databases into the EBSCO search field. 

You can also add more relevant keywords to refine your topic (see the examples in the EBSCO Search Tips box). 

EBSCO Search

EBSCO Search Tips

Search Tips:

  • 3-5 keywords often works well
  • Take advantage of the limiters inside of EBSCO Search
  • Try different keywords (consider synonyms)

Using Parentheses: Use these around keywords separated by the word "OR" to expand your search and get more results

Example: identity (black OR african american)

In the example above, we are running two searches at once: 

black identity and african american identity 

Using the Asterisk (*): Use this to shorten a word and search for all possible endings of a root word. This will give you more results

Example #1: gender*

This is searching for the keyword gender as well as the keywords: genders and gendering, etc. 

Example #2: wom*n

This is searching for the keywords women and woman.

How to Use EBSCO Search

Step 1. Type in Relevant Keywords


Step 2 Limit Search to Full Text & select your Source Type