AGR1220 - Timmers

• Have a strategy!
• Write down your topic
• Brainstorm terms with the same meaning
• Search for keywords, not sentences
  • Do: addiction alcoholism
  • Don't: What are the effects of alcoholism and addiction?
• Group phrases within quotation marks
  • Do: "substance abuse"
• Review descriptions/records of useful items for more search terms
• Keep track of where you have searched and what keywords were helpful
• Ask the experts for some help

What are you searching for?

Library databases can be picky about the search terms you choose. Don't search by simply typing in a sentence!

In the following example, the highlighted words would be your search terms. 

• What are the effects of repeated use of Roundup and glyphosate for weed control methods?
• What is the impact of climate change on crop yield?
• How does nanotechnology minimize nutrient losses in fertilization?

Synonyms

Using Phrases to Search

For search terms that include multiple words, use quotes " " to keep the database from splitting up the phrase. "Weed control" will search for the exact phrase "weed control."

Boolean Operators

Use the Boolean Operators AND, OR, and NOT to create search statements to enter in databases, SOAR, Google, et cetera. 

Examples:

• College AND Technology AND Learning
• (College OR Higher Learning OR University) AND (Technology OR Computers) AND (Learning OR Instruction)
• (Technology AND Learning AND Elementary) NOT College

Truncation

Truncation allows you to search for multiple terms with the same root at once by using an asterisk:

• Educat* = Educate, Education, Educational, Educator
• Child* = Child, Children, Childish

Source: Carnegie Vincent Library, Boolean Operators: Pirates vs. Ninjas