The content of a database is made up up a number of records. A record is another name for an indexed article. When you have searched a database your result is usually listed as the number of records, or articles, returned.

Each record in the database consists of a number of fields. Each field corresponds to a specific piece of data about the indexed article.
Searching by fields allows you to increase the specificity and precision of your search.

Field searching is of most benefit when searching specialist indexes such as Medline and Cinahl.
When using full text databases, select fields by using the Advanced Search options.

Example: searching for author
Billington in AU

Note: Field codes vary between databases. Check the online Help to find which field codes apply to the database you are using.