Guides: How to do Library Research: Advanced Search Techniques

Advanced search techniques

Keywords and Boolean operators can be extended further by using Subject Headings or special search characters. Locating relevant information is often achievable without using any of these techniques. In some instances, however, these techniques may expand or narrow your search string to produce more relevant results . It is important to note that some of the techniques listed below are incompatible with some databases. In these instances, it is advised to contact your librarians.

Technique	Description	Example
Subject Headings	Subject Headings are specific, standard words or phrases used in individual databases to describe topics or concepts. Subject Headings are often used in scientific databases and originate from different authorities (e.g. Library of Congress, National Library of Medicine, American Psychological Association, etc.)	Canines Lavendula angustifolia Breast Neoplasms
Truncation	Truncation broadens a search to include multiple endings of a keyword. Type a symbol (*, !, ?, #) at the end of a root word to search for any ending of that word. The special character(s) used for truncated searching vary by database. Look for help menus in the database that provide these details or contact the library.	child* = child, children, childhood valid* = valid, validity, validation
Wildcard	Wildcards search for various spellings of a keyword.	wom!n = woman, women colo!r = color, colour
Quotation mark	Quotation marks direct databases to retrieve an exact order of words or an exact phrase.	“Achilles tendon” vs. Achilles and tendon “emotional support animal” vs. emotional and support and animal
Parentheses	Parentheses help establish the order of search operations and can be sued to search for multiple terms at the same time. This is useful when keywords have closely related synonyms.	(teenager OR adolescent OR youth) AND anxiety (college OR university) AND (dorms OR housing)