How to Search

Many databases have built in topic discovery methods. Discovery Search by EBSCO has a Concept Map tool. Gale has Topic Finder. Credo has Mind Map. All these tools are very similar. They are built to help you start exploring your topic. When exploring your topic make sure you check out the different terms/subject tags associated with your topic. These terms/subject tags can help later expand your search in Discovery Search. 

What is Boolean searching?

In simple terms Boolean searching gives you the ability to dig deeper and more specifically when researching.  You can use this technique in all searches, whether it be on a database or on Google.

There are three main operators that you can use in your search: AND, OR, NOT.

• When using AND it will search for both terms you put into search box.  For example: cancer AND lung.  This means it will only bring up results that have both terms in it.  This creates a narrower search.

• When using OR it will search for either term.  For example: cancer OR disease.  This will bring up results that contains at least one of the terms, cancer or disease, creating a wider search.

• When using NOT it will exclude the term after not.  For example: cancer NOT disease.  This will bring up results that only have the term cancer in them, results that have the term disease in them will not show up.   

Secondly, you can use parentheses () to help narrow or broaden your search results.

Example: (lung OR thyroid) NOT cancer

This will search for lung and thyroid but not include any results that have cancer in them. 

Finally, you can use quotations "" when you want that specific combination of terms.

When searching databases, you will often find that when you search for two terms or more that some results will only contain one or two of the terms.  This can be frustrating.  If you want articles that include both terms or all the terms, you can do two things. Either put your terms in quotations, or make them into an AND statement.

For example: "lung cancer deaths" or lung AND cancer AND deaths

For more information on Boolean searching check out EBSCO's guide. Also check out the March 2023 FYLi Newsletter that discusses these searching techniques. 

Using Wildcards and Truncation

Wildcards change letters (?) or add to them (#)

Example: b?t could come up with the following bat, bit, bet, etc.

neighbo#r would pull up neighbor and neighbour (this is most often an occurrence with English vs. American words)

Truncation expands your search results by adding * to the end of a root word

Example: nurs* would pull up nurse, nurses, nursing, etc.

Using Limiters to Refine Your Search

Remember to set the following limits before you start searching

• Peer reviewed

• Full text (For access immediately, leave unchecked to search all on that subject. If we don’t have immediate access; you will have to submit an interlibrary loan request)

• Set year limits to no more than 5 years ago (i.e. 2013-2018) for science and health based articles

Narrowing VS Broadening your Searching 

Primary sources are documents/evidence that were created at the time period you are researching, or memories of those who participated during that time period.

Secondary sources are documents that analyze or interpret primary sources from that period. An example of this is when a researcher examines primary sources and discusses them in a paper, book or in a documentary.  In general, if the researcher has gathered information to recreate the history of the time period, it is a secondary source.

Some good sites to start your search for primary sources are the Library of Congress and National Archives.

Creating a search string in Discovery Search

When it comes to creating a search string there are a few things to keep in mind.

First is the incorporation of Boolean Operators; AND OR NOT into your search string. For example, pediatric cancer, you should also incorporate other terms for pediatric. In this case (pediatric OR children OR child OR youth OR infant) AND cancer would be a search string to try.

Second is to use expand what terms you are using. In the case of cancer, you can also try cancer OR neoplasms OR tumor OR malignancy

Third is to incorporate Parenthesis, Quotation Marks, Wild Cards, and Truncation.

Parenthesis help keep order and priority to your search string.

Quotation Marks are used when a multiword specific term is used, like an authors name, “Bob Ross” but can also be used in other instances particularly proper nouns, “New York City”, “Boston Red Sox”.

Wildcards change letters (?) or add to them (#)

Example: b?t could come up with the following bat, bit, bet, etc. Neighbo#r would pull up neighbor and neighbour (this is most often an occurrence with English vs. American words)

Truncation expands your search results by adding * to the end of a root word

Example: nurs* would pull up nurse, nurses, nursing, etc.

Put all of these techniques together and a final search string could look like this:

(pe#diatric OR child* OR youth OR infant) AND (cancer OR neoplasms OR tumo#r OR malignancy) AND (environment*)

Or as simple as: (child*) and cancer

It is important to remember that the more specific your search string is the less results you will get. If you find that your search comes up with no results or very little, try scaling your search string back to be less specific.