On a Broad Topic

Use the listing of Databases by Subject to find the subject category that best describes your topic. You may find your topic falls under more than one potential category. Use a Multi-Subject database if you're not sure where to start.
Searching for broad topics (i.e., a paper on "philosophy") can overwhelm you with articles from a database. Look over your notes or read a general reference work in the field to try and pick a specific issue or question within your broad category.