Databases have too much specialized information in them to be appropriate for background research. You can specified what type of documents you want to retrieve by selecting proper limiters such as document type and years.
Combine your ideas effectively using:
AND, to combine terms for specific results
OR, to allow for synonyms, and to broaden results
NOT, to exclude terms from your search
Search Phrases
Place quotations around the set of words you want to be read as phrases such as "Arab Spring"
Helpful Video Tutorials
Click on the following links to view a short tutorial on each topic. For flash-free mobile and Apple devices click on