Search Strategies: Using Advanced Search

Truncation

Truncation, also called stemming, is a technique that broadens your search to include various word endings and spellings.

• To use truncation, enter the root of a word and put the truncation symbol at the end.
• The database will return results that include any ending of that root word.
• Examples:
  child* = child, childs, children, childrens, childhood
  genetic* = genetic, genetics, genetically
• Truncation symbols may vary by database; common symbols include: *, !, ?, or #

• Root words that have multiple endings.  Example: sun = suns, sunshine, sunny, sunlight
• Words that are spelled differently, but mean the same thing.  Example:  color, colour
• Truncation/wildcard symbols vary by database.  Check the help screens to find out which symbols are used.

  ---

Wildcards:

Alternatively called a wild character or wildcard character, a wildcard is a symbol used to replace or represent one or more characters. The most common wildcards are the asterisk (*), which represents one or more characters, and the question mark (?), which represents a single character. In the examples below of how a wildcard may be used, realize that wildcards are relatively universal but may not work in every program.

• This is useful if a word is spelled in different ways, but still has the same meaning.
• Examples:
  wom!n = woman, women
  colo?r = color, colour

If you have questions about applying this technique to your search, Ask Us!

What to look for in 'Advanced Search' on the Library Catalogue?

Boolean operators (words; AND, OR and NOT) help narrow or broaden your search results from the library catalogues and databases. 

• They connect your search words together to either narrow or broaden your set of results.
• The three basic boolean operators are: AND, OR, and NOT.

Why use Boolean operators?

• To focus a search, particularly when your topic contains multiple search words or terms.
• To connect various pieces of information to find exactly what you're looking for.
• Example: second creation (title) AND Campbell (author) AND 2000 (year)

The Advanced Search on the library catalogue includes easy-to-use prompts for AND, OR, and NOT.

Use AND in a search to:

• narrow your results
• tell the database that ALL search terms must be present in the resulting records
• example: cloning AND humans AND ethics

The purple triangle in the middle of the Venn diagram below represents the result set for this search. It is a small set using AND, the combination of all three search words.

Be aware:  In many, but not all, databases, the AND is implied. 

• For example, Google automatically puts an AND in between your search terms.
• Though all your search terms are included in the results, they may not be connected together in the way you want.
• For example, this search:  college students test anxiety  is translated to:  college AND students AND test AND anxiety. The words may appear individually throughout the resulting records.
• You can search using phrases to make your results more specific.
• For example:  "college students" AND "test anxiety". This way, the phrases show up in the results as you expect them to be.

Use OR in a search to:

• connect two or more similar concepts (synonyms)
• broaden your results, telling the database that  ANY of your search terms can be present in the resulting records
• example: cloning OR genetics OR reproduction

All three circles represent the result set for this search. It is a big set because any of those words are valid using the OR operator.