Searching databases

Often, when we are searching the web, we type in our question as a question. Of course, the search engine isn't really understanding our question as a human would. An algorithm is extracting and combining key terms and phrases, often with some additional weighting based on our location, previous searches, other commonly searched phrases, etc. Sometimes, this actually gets in the way of finding what you need.

When you are searching a database, you are in charge of defining and combining the key terms and phrases. This takes a little practice. See the Keyword Search Strategies, by topic, just to get started. Play around with these. It takes practice, but it's usually worth the trouble.

Search Subject Databases, directly

Suggested search terms (just to get you started):

  • Capitol insurrection
  • Voter suppression
  • Election administration
  • Voting Rights Act

  • Confidence OR Trust
    [and] democratic institutions OR elections

  • Media
    [and] democracy OR democratic institutions
    [and] threat OR decline OR impact

  • Gender OR women
    [and] role OR identities
    [and] democra*

  • "voting procedures" OR "election procedures" AND states (Note: Even after using the limit to Location -- United States, a few non-U.S. focused articles will sneak in).
  • "election administration" AND (race OR minorities)
  • "election administration" AND (political* OR partisan)
  • "church committee" and power
  • gender AND identity AND politics AND "united states"

Notes:

  1. Worldwide Political Science Abstracts is a PQ database and uses a single search window as the default.
  2. Place quotation marks around phrases. Place parentheses around alternative phrases connected with OR, e.g. (race OR minorities)
  3. Adding the asterisk (*) after politi* finds political or politization.
  4. Adding "united states" will unfortunately still find some articles on non-US topics. This is because the phrase "united states" is showing up either somewhere in the article or in the journal location or author biographical note.