Use the EBSCOhost Choose Databases Menu to select and search more than one EBSCOhost database at the same time:
Or search individual EBSCOhost databases one at a time:
Type NOT before a keyword to exclude that keyword from your search. Using NOT will decrease the number of articles or web pages in your result list. The best use of NOT is when you are searching for a keyword that may have multiple meanings.
Example: bat NOT baseball
Use parentheses ( ) to keep combination searches in order. In the example below, the database or search engine will retrieve articles or web pages that must contain the word law and at least one of the words in parentheses.
Example: (ecstasy OR mdma) AND law
Truncation, also known as stemming, uses a character such as asterisk (*) or question mark (?) at the end of a word, which allows you to search for a root form of a word and pick up any ending.
Example: typing teen* will find teen, teens, teenage, teenager, teenagers.
Wildcard symbols can be typed in place of a letter or letters within a keyword if you are not sure of the spelling or if there are different forms of the root word.
Example: wom?n will find both women and woman.
Note: Again, check the Help or Tips links available on most library databases and Internet search engines to verify the wildcard symbol that should be used - usually an asterisk (*) or question mark (?)
To look for an exact phrase, use quotation marks (" ") around the keywords.
Example: "attention deficit disorder”
Note: this works in most search engines as well. If you type an exact phrase without quotations when doing a basic search, most search engines will look for each word separately. This means your result list will include web pages that not only contain the exact phrase (ex: attention deficit disorder) but also web pages that contain a word or words from the exact phrase appearing separately (ex: attention may appear in one paragraph or sentence and disorder will appear in another paragraph or sentence).
If you click on any Reynolds Library database link from off-campus, you will get a Virginia's Community Colleges login screen first. Use your My Reynolds username and password to access library databases from off-campus.
If you are a student currently enrolled in a Reynolds course, and cannot login from off campus, please email Will Weaver (Web Services Librarian) email@example.com or call 804.523.5323.