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English 1010/1020 Research Guide: Search Strategies

This guide is intended to help students in ENGL 1010 identify and learn how to get started using library databases for academic research. The library catalog and some of our most popular multidisciplinary databases are covered.

Creating Search Statements

Database Search Tips

Creating good search statements will help speed up your research and retrieve the best results while hopefully minimizing the number of irrelevant results.  The strategies mentioned on this page - using keywords, Boolean operators, truncation and phrases - are not absolutely required for all search engines but they can make any search engine, even Google, work better for you. 

If you would like more information on any of these topics, take these excellent, interactive tutorials from Colorado State University.

Identifying Keywords & Synonyms

Generating Keywords

  • You will only input keywords (not whole questions) into databases when you search them.  So, you need to reduce your research question down to its most important keywords.

Example: What is the relationship between advertisements and teenagers' self image?

Keywords = advertisements / teenagers / self image

  • Next, think of synonyms for your keywords. Search for them too! Sometimes you will retrieve better results when you search for synonyms.

Examples: teenagers = teens or youth or adolescents / self image = body image

Truncation & Phrases

Truncation & Wildcards & Phrases

  • Truncation: Finds everything with that word root. The symbol is often an *
    • teen* will retrieve articles containing: teen / teens / teenager / teenagers
  • Wildcards: Replaces one letter in a word to search for variations. The symbol is often a $
    • wom?n will retrieve: woman / women
  • Phrases: Finds the words next to each other. The symbol is "  "
    • "mental health" will retrieve only that EXACT phrase

Boolean Operators

Boolean Operators for Precision Searching

 

Venn diagram of television and violence

AND, OR and NOT operators

  • AND
    • only retrieves content where both keywords are present (shown in green on diagram above)
    • is the most restrictive search (i.e., brings back fewer results)
    • is best for combining two or more different concepts (such as television AND violence)
  • OR
    • retrieves content where either word is present (represented by all colors in diagram above)
    • is the broadest search (brings back the most results)
    • is best when searching with synonyms (ex: teens OR adolescents)
  • NOT
    • will exclude terms from your search, similar to the - (negative sign) in Google (ex: football NOT dolphins)
    • television NOT violence would only retrieve articles represented by the yellow part in the diagram above

Boolean example courtesy of Crystal Stratton

Video Overview 

This video linked below is from CSUSB's John M. Phau Library, and it provides a quick introduction to Boolean Operators and how to use them.​​​​​​​