Other schools have put together demos and tutorials on various search techniques.

To search for an exact phrase, use quotes (" ") 

Example: "attention deficit disorder”

Note: This technique works in most search engines as well. If you type an exact phrase without quotations when doing a basic search, most search engines will look for each word separately. This means your result list will include web pages that contain the exact phrase as well as web pages that contain a word or words from the exact phrase appearing separately.

Truncation

Truncation, also known as stemming, uses a character such as asterisk (*) or question mark (?) at the end of a word, which allows you to search for a root form of a word and pick up any ending.

Example: typing teen* will find teen, teens, teenage, teenager, teenagers.

Notes:

Be careful not to end the stem or root of a word too early to retrieve too many results. Example: typing cat* will find cat, cats, catalog, catastrophe, catsup, etc.

Different databases use different symbols to truncate words. However, most of our popular databases, such as Academic Search Complete use the asterisk (*) as their truncation symbol. If in doubt, click on the Help or Tips links to verify what symbol should be used.

Some search engines, such as Yahoo! and Google, automatically use truncation without you having to type a truncation symbol.

Wildcard Symbols

Wildcard symbols can be typed in place of a letter or letters within a keyword if you are not sure of the spelling or if there are different forms of the root word.

Example: wom?n will find both women and woman.

Note: Again, check the Help or Tips links to verify the wildcard symbol that should be used.

efore you begin using a library database or search engine, it is a good idea to write down all the keywords and phrases that describe your topic or the information you are seeking. You should also write down any synonyms or related terms. These keywords and phrases can be your search terms.

Example: Does television viewing encourage aggressive behavior in children?

A simple search can be: television AND "aggressive behavior" AND children

A complex search can be: (aggressive OR aggression OR fighting) AND (children OR adolescents)

A keyword search retrieves words or phrases from the important fields of the database records. In most databases a keyword search finds words in fields that have descriptive content, such as author, article title, source title (book, journal, magazine, or newspaper, subject/descriptor terms, and abstract. In some databases, additional fields may be included in the keyword search. And in other databases, a keyword search will search everything in every record.  Some keyword search engines allow you to specify which field(s) are to be searched.

A keyword search usually retrieves more items than a subject search, but they may not all be relevant. The computer is looking for the exact word you typed, not for the meaning or context of the word.

For example, a search on AIDS will retrieve items on...

• aids for the hearing impaired
• school aids
• AIDS (the disease)

A keyword search is the best method to use when:

• You are beginning your research
• You are searching for a new trend or concept
• You are not sure of the correct subject heading
• The database does not have subject headings
• You are looking for specific factual information

 Some search tips:

• Use only significant words, not common words, such as the, of, an, and that.
• Avoid using phrases such as "people with diabetes", or whole sentences, such as "How do people buy cigarettes if they are under 18?"

A subject search involves searching the subject headings used in a database. Most databases include subject headings that are assigned to each record.

A list of subject headings, called a database thesaurus, ensures that all items about the same topic have uniform headings. Users can then retrieve all of the items on the same topic using one word or term, even when there may be several other ways to state the concept. By using the subject heading, you will retrieve every relevant item for your topic. Searching with a subject heading retrieves items ABOUT that particular topic, and it is a more precise search than a keyword search.

For example, you may want to research the topic death penalty.

Possible ways (synonyms) to state this topic include: 

• Death Penalty
• Electrocution
• Capital Punishment
• Hanging
• Cruel and Unusual Punishment
• Death Row
• Lethal Injection

In the library catalog (QuickSearch) and Academic Search Complete database, the subject heading for death penalty is capital punishment, but the same term may not be used in other databases.

The thesaurus for the library catalog (QuickSearch) is called Library of Congress Subject Headings. If you would like to consult this resource, or if you are unsure whether a particular database has a thesaurus, ask a reference librarian.

Created by the University of Auckland Library, NZ. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Boolean searching is based on a system developed by George Boole, a 19th century mathematician. Most online databases and Internet search engines support Boolean searching. The power of Boolean searching is based on connecting keywords with Boolean operators. The three basic operators are AND, OR and NOT. Here is how they work:

	AND Type AND between your keywords to narrow your search. The database or search engine will only retrieve those articles or web pages that contain both words. Using AND will decrease the number or hits or articles or web pages in your result list. Example: school AND crime Note: Some databases and search engines (such as Google and Craigslist) allow you to type a plus sign (+) in front of a keyword when doing a basic search. This works the same as AND. Example: +school +crime
	OR Type OR between your keywords to broaden your search. The database or search engine will retrieve those articles or web pages that contain at least one of these words. Using OR will increase the number of articles or web pages in your result list (especially if not used in combination with AND or NOT). Use OR between keywords that are synonyms or have similar meanings. Example: baby OR infant
	NOT Type NOT before a keyword to exclude that keyword from your search. Using NOT will decrease the number of articles or web pages in your result list. The best use of NOT is when you are searching for a keyword that may have multiple meanings. Example: bat NOT baseball
	Combining Boolean Operators Use parentheses ( ) to keep combination searches in order. This is called nesting. In the example below, the database or search engine will retrieve articles or web pages that must contain the word law and at least one of the words in parentheses. Example: (ecstasy OR mdma) AND law