Search Strategies

Search Strategies

• No matter where you search:

– Library Databases

– The Library Catalog

– The Internet

• Many of these “tricks” will apply.

Keywords• What words will you use to search with?

• Be flexible!

– burglary

– Breaking and entering

– robbery

– Larceny

– Shoplifting, stealing,

stolen goods, thievery

“Spot the pit bull” by audreyjm529, http://www.flickr.com/photos/audreyjm529/201453689/. Creative commons license.

Boolean Searching

Use For

And Narrowing your search & retrieving records containing all words

Or Broaden your search to retrieve any of the words.

Not Narrow search to retrieve records not containing term following it

Slide show creator: Abigail Colucci, University of Calgary Library,

via SlideShare (http://www.slideshare.net/AbbeyWrites/boolean-

searching-3310937?from=share_email)

Boolean Searching

AND = All results about prisons AND sex offenders

OR = Results on either prisons or sex offenders (not necessarily both)

Not = Results on prisons, but not if it includes info about sex offenders.

Prisons Sex

offenders

Prisons Sex

offenders

Prisons Sex

offenders

A sample search screen:

The article must include one of these words:Prisons – jail – corrections

It also must include one of these words/phrases:Sex offenders – rapists

But if “Christopher Smith” is mentioned, then those articles should not be included!

More Search Tips

Phrases

• Are you looking for words appearing together?

– Put the words “in quotes” to find that exact phrase!

• For example: early release versus “early release”

Look for Limiting Options

The Catalog…

Other library databases…

And even with web search engines like Google!

Truncation/Wildcard Symbols

Example: psych*

• Psychiatric

• Psychological

• Psychologists

• Psychotic…

Use symbols to search for various forms of a word. (Symbols may be different in different databases!)

Example: wom?n

• woman

• women

Limit your Fields

• Limit where you are searching if you need to narrow or increase your results.

Look for a Subject Guide or Thesaurus

Frustration?

• Not happy with your results?

• Think about what kind of information you expect to find.

• Be more flexible or broad if not seeing things

• Be more specific if you’re getting too much

Originality!

The good news: Congratulations, you have a clever and interesting topic that nobody has thought of.

The bad news: Nobody has thought of it, yet, so there are no articles about your exact topic!

What to do: Find related information, things that you can use to draw your own conclusions.