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POL/SOC 308 - Pericak

Search Strategy Tips

Here are a few tips to help you develop a good search strategy:

1. Use two or three keywords rather than a complete sentence. Example:

TOPIC: I'm interested in finding articles on the importance of photosynthesis to global ecosystem.

KEYWORDS: photosynthesis --- plants – oxygen --- light --- carbon dioxide

The other words do not relate to the core concepts of the research question and are not effective keywords.

2. Use quotation marks " " when you want to search for a phrase. Example:

"social media" or “organizational behavior”

3. Too few or poor results? Use synonyms and related terms to find different results. Example:

fern in place of plant

“resistance training” in place of “strength training"

Truncation

Truncation symbol, [an asterisk (*), dollar sign ($), or plus sign (+), etc.], with the root/stem of a word broadens your search to include various wording endings:

child*=child or children or childhood

Wildcard symbol may also be used to replace a single character to include different spellings:

wom?n for women or woman

Some databases use different symbols so check the searching help in the database you are using.

 

Evaluating Your Results

Skim the title list first. When you find an interesting title, check for an abstract (brief summary) of the article, or a summary of the book, to help you decide if it will really fit your needs.

Be choosy! An article or book can contain all your keywords but still not be useful.

If you get no results or uninteresting results, use the searching  tips in the box on the left.  Also, if you have found even one interesting result, skim it for keywords or a subject term that will help you get better results in a revised search.

Using AND, OR, and NOT with Your Keywords

AND is used to connect two or more keywords using Boolean logic. They are also known as Boolean operators.

Use AND to connect keywords that you think there is a relationship between, or are associated, such as "income AND education", or "gender AND salary". It also reduces the number of results.

OR is used to connect two or more similar concepts and will broaden your results.

Examples: cat OR kitten          dog OR canine

NOT is used to exclude a word from a search.

Example:  dogs NOT cats

Use AND to connect keywords or key phrases and OR to find synonyms in the same search.

Example:
(dog OR canine) AND (pet OR "companion animal")

Combining Wildcard(s) and Truncation in a Search String

Maximize your search by combining these tools:

  • olympi* AND athlet*
  • Wildcard + truncation + Boolean
  • wom?n AND (equal* OR rights) 
    AND (work* OR employ*)