Searching Tips and Tricks
The following concepts can be applied when you search in most databases, including your local library catalog, research databases, and even on the Web.   Each database is likely to have its own rules and quirks, use help screens or ask a librarian if you need help in a particular database.

The Basics

  • Spell all words correctly
  • Don't capitalize proper nouns
  • Don't use punctuation
  • Don't use natural language phrases
  • Begin with a simple search & think critically about your results
  • Cast a wide net,   by using the same search words, and then synonyms or related terms in a number of different search engines to compare their features, and for more comprehensive results

Keyword Searching

Words from the title, abstract, and/or text of a document are indexed in the database and these indexes are searchable.   When you type these words into the search box, it is called "Keyword searching".  
Advantages of keyword searching:
  • You can find articles using new terms, distinctive words or jargon
  • You do not need to find the "controlled vocabulary" or subject heading for your topic,   you can search using the terms that come to mind.
Disadvantages of keyword searching:
  • You must search under a variety of words and word variations. Example: search for child, children, kids, boys, or girls for information on children
  • You may get incorrect results
Some Ways to Make our Searches More Precise
  • Use Boolean Operators (see Boolean Searching handout)
  • Try truncating your terms.   Truncation allows you to search the "root" form of a word with all its different endings by adding a symbol to the end of a word.   Using truncation saves time; you don't have to repeat searches with multiple variations of the same word.

For example: Typing in nurs* will return results with the words nurse, nurses, nursing

The most common truncation symbol is the asterisk but databases do vary.

  • Search for phrases
Phrase searching tells the computer to search for two or more words in the exact order in which that are entered instead of treating them like separate search terms.   Phrase searching is usually performed by using quotation marks to enclose the phrase.

Example; "Yellow fever epidemic" or "New Deal".

Some databases use implied phrase searching when two or more terms are entered.   You may need to consult the database's help screens or ask a librarian.

  • Search using subject headings or "controlled vocabulary".

Created by Rachel Bridgewater, 6/2004

Permission is granted for unlimited non-commercial use of this guide.