Library Databases use keyword searching. Do not search with sentences (natural language searching), such as, "How do I find research papers on the tree octopus." Start with the most specific words or phrases, and then get broader
You can start your search process by writing down a thesis sentence describing your topic,
KEYWORDS or KEYWORD PHRASES are words or phrases that describe your topic.
Usually descriptive adjective and nouns.
When you do a keyword search in a library database, it searches minimally, the
This is an algebraic concept, but don't let that scare you away. Boolean connectors are all about sets. There are three little words that are used as Boolean connectors:
Think of each keyword as having a "set" of results that are connected with it. These sets can be combined to produce a different "set" of results. You can also exclude certain "sets" from your results by using a Boolean connector.
AND is a connector that requires both words to be present in each record in the results. Use AND to narrow your search.
Search Term | Hits |
---|---|
whales | 999 hits |
dolphins | 876 hits |
whales AND dolphins | 123 hits |
The words 'whales' and 'dolphins' will both be present in each record.
OR is a connector that allows either word to be present in each record in the results. Use OR to expand your search.
Search Term | Hits |
---|---|
ebola | 97 hits |
Marburg | 75 hits |
Ebola OR Marburg | 172 hits |
Either "ebola" OR "Marburg" (or both) will be present in each record.
NOT is a connector that requires the first word be present in each record in the results, but only if the record does not contain the second word.
Search Term | Hits |
---|---|
Enteric bacteria | 423 hits |
Salmonella | 352hits |
Enteric bacteria NOT salmonella | 275 hits |
So a search for enteric bacteria that excludes salmonella would look like this