An internet search engine is:

a site on the World Wide Web that uses such software which is designed to search data for specific keywords, to (in this case) locate key words in other sites.

An academic database is:

A collection of curated information suitable for use by college and university students to find the content they need to succeed in their classes and attain their degrees.

They both have their uses, of course, but you don't search them the same way.

Academic Databases are ORGANIZED in the following way:

• Every item in that database is 'labeled' with information about...what that database item is, what it's called, what it's about, where it came from, who made it, when they made it, who published it, etc. etc. etc. (also known as 'metadata')

• Internet search engines 'interpret' what people type into their search boxes (because as we all know, people type all SORTS of things, including whole sentences), and usually bring back enough so you find something you can use.

• But Database search functions don't 'interpret' - they match.

• They take your search words, and see if they can find a match with those metadata labels already on the items in the database.

• And THAT, my friends, is why it's always been (and will forever be) all about the KEYWORDS. (A fancy name for those search words that are crucial to expressing  your search's concepts.