Do you know your topic well enough to have a conversation about it with a friend? If not, you should probably do some background reading before you start looking for research articles. Having a basic understanding of the key concepts and terms of your topic will make it easier for you to understand more advanced research on the topic.
What do you hope to talk about in each section of your paper? If you have an idea of what you'd like to talk about, it will make your research easier later on.
If you already have a rough outline for your paper, you should have an idea of the subtopics you plan to write about. Research each of these subtopics separately in the database you're using.
For example, if your paper is about a particular disease, one section of your paper may discuss what causes the disease, one section may discuss how it is diagnosed, one section may discuss how it is treated, etc. Instead of searching for articles about the disease in general, do separate searches for each subtopic. For example, search first for articles about the cause of the disease. Then do another search for articles about the diagnosis of the disease. And so on.
If you feel like you don't know where to start, or if you feel stuck, don't hesitate to ask for help. Whether it's tips for searching or help accessing an article you've found, contact your NFS Librarian for assistance!