Searching Strategies
These search techniques and strategies will help you get the most out of our library.
Choose relevant, descriptive keywords
Keyword searching is how we usually search online: think of important words or phrases related to a topic and type them in to get results. This approach also works in our library!
How to decide on keywords
When conducting a keyword search, use 2–4 words at a time.
- Start with your research question. Break it down into its main parts.
- Look at the keywords listed on scholarly articles in the same field as your research question.
- Think of some synonyms for those words to broaden your search.
Search for exact phrases using quotation marks
If you have a multi-word search phrase, enclose it in quotation marks to tell the database that you're only looking for those exact words in that exact order.
For example, searching for "change management" will only return results that use the words change and management right next to each other, in that order. If you left out the quotation marks, the database would return lots more results that include the words change and management somewhere in the article but not necessarily as part of the same phrase.
Use database logic with Boolean operators
The words AND, OR, and NOT are called Boolean operators. They connect your search terms together to either broaden or narrow your search results.
AND
Use AND to narrow your search results. This tells the database that all of your search terms must be present in the results.
OR
Use OR to broaden your search results by looking for any of the synonyms you include. This tells the database that any of your search terms can be present in the results.
NOT
Use NOT to narrow your search results by excluding words from your search. This tells the database to ignore concepts related to your search terms that you're not actually interested in.
You can insert these terms into a search field yourself, but you'll also find that advanced search tools include built-in Boolean operators.
Using those drop-down menus, you can link the different parts of your research question together and quickly search for terms in various parts of a source (like the title, abstract, or the full text of the article).
Expand your search with truncation and wildcards
Truncation expands your search and increases your results by gathering sources that mention any form(s) of the same word or word root, saving you from running a separate search for each version of your keyword. Truncation is especially useful when you are looking for both the singular and plural forms of a word, or when a word has multiple spellings.
Just place an asterisk (*) right where you want to cut the word off, creating what is referred to as a wildcard. The search will return results that include various endings or suffixes.
Use subject headings
Keywords are usually easy to think of based on your research question. But if you're not sure how to phrase your research question, or if you're not finding many good sources, you can use subject headings to search instead. Subject headings are the categories that databases use to organize articles on the same subject, even when they come from different journals and publishers.
Most of our library's databases are hosted by EBSCO. This video explains how to use subject headings in your searches in databases like Academic Search Ultimate, APA PsycArticles, Education Source, and more.
If you're looking for business research, you might also use the ABI/INFORM database on ProQuest. This video explains how to use subjects in searches on that platform.