When searching a periodical database, like ProQuest or Academic Search Premier, your goal is to get a reasonable number (around 50) of highly relevant articles. To do this, use the Advanced Search feature to combine keywords (names, places, events, ideas, synonyms, etc.) specific to your topic.
Before you start your search, look at your research topic, and develop a list of keywords or terms you can use and combine together to create a search strategy that will give you results relevant to what you need to know. Some combinations work better than others but keep experimenting. Do not keep trying the same two or three words together over and over. Here are a few examples:
• television AND rape culture
• action movies AND representation AND race
Other ways to focus your searches:
√ Check the box that will limit your results to academic journals only
√ Check the box that will limit your results to full-text articles only
√ Define a date range (for example: 2015-2022)
√ Use their "Suggested Topics" or "Find More Like This" feature