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Search Strategies: Tips for Working with Databases: Database Limiters

The following guide is an introduction to creating search terms, and using subject headings, keywords and search syntax.

Limiters

Limiters let you narrow the focus of your search so that the information retrieved from the databases you search is limited according to the values you select. This can be helpful to narrow down a search with many results.

You can use more than one limiter if more than one is available.

Limiters vary among databases, but common limiters that can appear below the Search Options tab or on the left of a results page (like this one) include:

  • Full-text – Click to limit results to articles with full text.
  • Peer Reviewed – Limits search results to articles from peer-reviewed or refereed journals.
  • Journal/Magazine – Enter a journal/magazine name in this field to limit results to articles only from that title.
  • Date Published – Use this option to search for articles within a specified date range.