Each database has a different default search field.
For example, if you don't choose a field in an EBSCO database, your terms will be searched in the Author, Subject, Title, Abstract, and author-supplied Keyword fields.
If you already know the author of a specific article, entering their Last Name, First Initial in the author field will pull more relevant records than a keyword search. This will ensure all results are articles written by the author and not articles about that author or just with that author’s name mentioned anywhere in the record.