Keyword Searching: Advanced Techniques

KEYWORD SEARCHING: ADVANCED TECHNIQUESKris Jacobson, GBS Library

January 2012

Google Search Tips

Basic Search: Natural Language Searching

Method used for most Google searches Searches for terms in close proximity Not the most powerful searching method for

most searches

Advanced search techniques yield better results Use quotation marks for phrases: “civil

rights” Combine terms for more specific results:

“temperance movement” women will get more targeted results than temperance

Use OR for synonyms, related terms, and alternate spellings : Mao Tse-Tung OR Mao Zedong

Use site: to limit results to certain domain types (.edu, .org, .gov):

Searching in GBS Library Databases

General search tips

Just as with Google searching:Use quotation marks for phrase searchesCombining terms will yield more targeted results

Boolean Searching

violence AND

television

ANDis used to narrow a search.

This will retrieve records that have both keywords.

college OR university

ORis used to expand a search.

This will retrieve records that have either keyword. It’s

useful for synonyms.

sports NOT professional

NOTis used to narrow a search.

This will not retrieve records that have the unwanted

keyword.

Use Truncation

Truncation symbols are used at the end of word stems and allow you to find all words beginning with the same root.

The asterisk or star (*) is most commonly used

Example: educat* will find educate, educating, education, educational, educator, educators, etc.

Works in the GBS Databases, not Google

Use the Advanced Search Screen in the GBS Databases Improves your results Gives more control over search Most “advanced search” screens in

databases have easy-to-use Boolean interface

Go beyond Boolean and truncation. Use advanced features to get more targeted results (e.g., restricting searches to Scholarly/Professional resources, restricting searches to specific article types, etc.)

Advanced Search Screen

Use Parentheses (Nesting)

Use parentheses when searching multiple terms in multiple rows. Make sure to close off each set of parentheses.

Use subject suggestions to modify searches Use subject headings to narrow your

search or just for new keyword ideas:

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