Use AND to connect words that must appear in a document. This *narrows* your search.
"retributive justice" OR "transitional justice"
Use OR if only one word must appear in a document. This *broadens* your search.
reparat*
Use an asterisk to truncate a word and allow for different endings, for example, reparations, reparative, reparatory, etc. (But be careful if there are words with the same beginning that are unrelated)
"truth and reconciliation"
Use quotation marks to enclose a phrase or words that must appear together in a document.
Nuremburg NOT rally
Use NOT to exclude words or terms from a search. If you're looking for articles on Nuremburg Trials or the Nuremburg Code, information on the Nuremburg rallies will not be helpful. (In this case it would probably also help to use an additional term -- Trials or Code.)
Library Guides -- and Subject Guides in particular -- can help you choose databases that are relevant to a specific disciplinary approach. There is a Subject Guide that corresponds with each Whitman major. General Guides offer information about certain kinds of sources, such as government documents or primary sources.