Visual search on EBSCO databases…

…may prove to be a very helpful tool if you are a visual learner. The option can be found beneath the main search box in any EBSCO database (such as PsycINFO). To make the most of it, I would suggest starting with a very simple search (e.g. interpersonal relationships) and following the screens from there. The way it works, is that it picks up the most common terms related to your search and presents them in a visual list. You click on one of these (e.g. ‘attachment behavior’) and it then presents you with another list, this time of the most common terms within the results for that phrase. You can keep clicking on these terms until you hone it down to exactly what you are looking for. At each stage the trail you have following is displayed visually, so you can backtrack and take alternative routes. If that all sounds a bit complex, then please give it a go – it is much easier to use than it is to explain!!!