Define Search Terms
Think about possible search terms for your topic. The broader your term, the more hits you will get. To avoid information overload, try narrowing your search by using an exact term or multiple terms. Example: If you were interested in "bias in newspapers" you could search using: newspapers bias slant censorship journalism. Here are some possibilities to narrow your search:
- Check spelling
- If you are beginning your search and you are not sure about an appropriate term, use an encyclopedia, a dictionary or a thesaurus
- Use nouns and unique words
- Put the most important words first
- Use multiple terms when possible
- Try synonyms and variants of your search term
- Look at relevant articles or sites that you have already found for possible search or subject terms
- Ask a librarian for help
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Narrow your Search
Search by phrase:
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Without Quotations
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With Quotations
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St Louis Blues
Returns results with any of these words
| "St Louis Blues"
Returns results with only the complete phrase
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Advanced Search:
Most search engines offer an advanced search option which allows you to use more features to improve your search. There are usually options to specify your search term as a phrase, subject, domain, etc. Remember that case (upper or lower) is not recognized by search engines.
Boolean Searching:
Search examples: searching for sharks the kind that swim and have big teeth, not the kind that play hockey.
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AND or "+"
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OR
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NOT or "-"
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Sharks AND Ocean
Sharks + Ocean
AND requires the word to be present, in other words shark and ocean have to both appear on the websites found.
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Sharks OR Ocean
OR allows either word to be present in the websites found.
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Sharks NOT Hockey
Sharks - Hockey
NOT excludes words from the websites you find. |
You may have to experiment with Boolean "operators" (AND, OR, NOT, +, -) since they work differently depending on the search engine. For instance, Google automatically assumes AND when you type in more than one word. Google also uses the + and - symbols to denote AND.
Shortcuts:
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Browser Find Function
Pull down Edit on your browser to use Find. Use the Find function to quickly find a word or phrase within a Website.
Find More Reliable Sites
Use words like "policy" or "research" in your search to find sites that are more reliable.
For Position Papers
Use words like "controversy," "debate," or "issue" to find sites that cover both sides of an issue.
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