Most Gale databases use standard search screens that provide various ways to search. The Advanced Search, or keyword search, is the default search screen. The Advanced Search screen gives the user more limiting options and multiple search boxes for complex searches.
In a a keyword search for "plastic bags" and pollution, quotation marks around "plastic bags" tell the database to search for those two words exactly in that order. Using the word and between keywords tells the database that all results must use those two words in the article.
A search may also been limited to articles printed in peer-reviewed journals by checking off that option. Peer-reviewed journals are academic journals that have been checked by a committee of experts. They are also called "refereed" journals.
Results are listed in order by date of publication with newest items at the top of the list. In most cases, results include title, author, and date of publication. Full text articles have a snippet of text displayed beneath the article information. Clicking on the title will display the complete article, which can be read online, emailed or printed.
Some articles are not available in full text. They display a Check for Full Text at Chemeketa control that will open a new tab and will display a link to full text or let you sign in to request the article.
There are several ways to refine results using the options under Filter Your Results. For example, you can filter your search by clicking on one of the Subjects. Subject terms are labels the database uses to describe what an article is about.
Keywords are your choice. Subject terms are set by the database. You are not limited to one or the other; you can use both Subject terms and keywords in yours searches. The number in parentheses indicates the number of results you will find if you add that Subject term to your search by clicking on it.
Document type will limit results to types of articles. It is especially helpful if you want to exclude document types such as book reviews or brief articles.
You can also limit your results by adding search terms, using the Search Within control. That allows you to add a key word to your search, for example, "ocean."