GPS121: Foundations of Social Justice: Search Skills

Library databases are organized around concepts. In order to effectively search a database you should first identify key concepts. Once you know what those are you can begin brainstorming keywords that you will use to search.  Be sure to think of some keywords that are broader than you topic and some that are more narrow. Here are some tips:

• Don't forget to try broader/narrower terms, synonyms (look at a thesaurus!), and related terms (examples: invetors, women inventors, women in technology, women scientists)
• Click on the title of a book or article (called the article or book record) to get the full information
• Use Subject links on record page to find similar items or to help brainstorm keywords

Boolean operators help you when searching.  The most popular operators are: AND, OR, NOT.  

AND narrows your search, OR expands your search, NOT limits your search

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Use the asterisk * to truncate a word and search for all forms.

Ex. Invent* will give you: Invent, Invents, Inventor, Invention

Use the question mark ? as a wildcard symbol.

Ex. Wom?n will search: woman & women

Use quotes to search for a specific phrase rather than just keywords

Ex. "Frog King" will search for the phrase rather than pulling every result that has "frog" and "king" somewhere in the record.