When you find an article very much like what you want, look at the subject descriptors. The words used as subjects vary by database, so you have to learn the language of each database.
Notice in this example that "self-management" is the subject term this database uses for the concept of self-regulation.
Unlike keywords, subjects describe what the article is about. These are words that convey concepts or meaning within a search. Think of them as the preferred term that represents concepts that could be described by a variety of terms. (i.e. "Sofa" as a subject term that encompasses sofa, futon, davenport, sleeper sofa) Keywords, on the other hand, function only as an ordered string of characters. (i.e. "Sofa" conveys no meaning other than s-o-f-a as a set of characters that can be matched in a search.)
Once you have identified a few subjects that closely describe your topic, you can switch to an advanced search and tell the database to search for those words / phrases only within the subject field.
Notice that "self-management," the term from the subject area of the article, has been entered with SU Subject Terms selected from the drop-down menu. The other terms will be searched as keywords since no field (field = section of the record of information about an article) was selected.
If you started your research from the library's homepage, using the OneSearch feature highlighted below, you might consider using specific databases, searching them individually instead of all together as OneSearch does.
The "Go to databases" link will open a page that gives you access to databases organized by subject area. Look for your subject area and search the relevant databases identified for that subject.
Remember to include databases in related subject areas! For example:
