KEYWORD SEARCHING: ADVANCED TECHNIQUESKris Jacobson, GBS Library
January 2012
Google Search Tips
Basic Search: Natural Language Searching
Method used for most Google searches Searches for terms in close proximity Not the most powerful searching method for
most searches
Advanced search techniques yield better results Use quotation marks for phrases: “civil
rights” Combine terms for more specific results:
“temperance movement” women will get more targeted results than temperance
Use OR for synonyms, related terms, and alternate spellings : Mao Tse-Tung OR Mao Zedong
Use site: to limit results to certain domain types (.edu, .org, .gov):
Searching in GBS Library Databases
General search tips
Just as with Google searching:Use quotation marks for phrase searchesCombining terms will yield more targeted results
Boolean Searching
violence AND
television
ANDis used to narrow a search.
This will retrieve records that have both keywords.
college OR university
ORis used to expand a search.
This will retrieve records that have either keyword. It’s
useful for synonyms.
sports NOT professional
NOTis used to narrow a search.
This will not retrieve records that have the unwanted
keyword.
Use Truncation
Truncation symbols are used at the end of word stems and allow you to find all words beginning with the same root.
The asterisk or star (*) is most commonly used
Example: educat* will find educate, educating, education, educational, educator, educators, etc.
Works in the GBS Databases, not Google
Use the Advanced Search Screen in the GBS Databases Improves your results Gives more control over search Most “advanced search” screens in
databases have easy-to-use Boolean interface
Go beyond Boolean and truncation. Use advanced features to get more targeted results (e.g., restricting searches to Scholarly/Professional resources, restricting searches to specific article types, etc.)
Advanced Search Screen
Use Parentheses (Nesting)
Use parentheses when searching multiple terms in multiple rows. Make sure to close off each set of parentheses.
Use subject suggestions to modify searches Use subject headings to narrow your
search or just for new keyword ideas:
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