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Basic Search Tips: Too Many Results? Narrow Your Search

This document provides search tips for both narrowing and broadening searches in databases. To narrow searches, it recommends adding keywords, choosing more specific search terms, and using limiters like date or field. To broaden searches, it suggests experimenting with related terms, being selective with search terms, removing limiters, searching broader related topics, and trying different databases. It also explains how to use Boolean operators, search fields, phrase searching, nesting, truncation, and wildcards to refine searches.

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94 views2 pages

Basic Search Tips: Too Many Results? Narrow Your Search

This document provides search tips for both narrowing and broadening searches in databases. To narrow searches, it recommends adding keywords, choosing more specific search terms, and using limiters like date or field. To broaden searches, it suggests experimenting with related terms, being selective with search terms, removing limiters, searching broader related topics, and trying different databases. It also explains how to use Boolean operators, search fields, phrase searching, nesting, truncation, and wildcards to refine searches.

Uploaded by

Simone a
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Basic Search Tips

Too Many Results? Narrow your search.


1. Add Additional Keywords.
In databases, subject terms can help you identify more
narrow topics and keywords.
2. Choose More Narrow Search Terms.
Examples: Broader term: law

Narrower term: environmental law
3. Use Limiters.
These are things like search fields (title or abstract)
publication date, and format type.
4. Search For A Short Phrase With Quotation Marks.
Examples: environmental law
environmental justice

What Is A Subject
Term?

Subject terms describe


what a work is about.
Every item in a database is assigned one
or more subject terms.
Subject terms can help
you identify effective
keywords. Most databases list subjects in
their search results.

Too Few Results? Broaden Your Search


1. Choice Of Search Terms
Choosing the right search terms is key.
Experiment with related terms.

In databases, subject terms can help you identify keywords.

Use OR to search for multiple related terms at the same time.

(e.g. policy OR law)
2. Too Many Search Terms
Databases can be picky about search terms. Be selective.
Begin with one or two search terms that best represent your topic.

Then add other terms as needed.

Avoid long phrases and empty words like the and how.
3. Too Many Limiters
If you limited the search (e.g. by date or search field), remove the limiters and reassess.
4. Narrow Topic
For highly specific topics, you may locate sources on a broader related topic.
Examples: Narrow search: Bloomington Indiana AND environmental policy
Broader search: United States AND state government AND
environmental policy
5. Database Choice
Different databases focus on different topics. Try the Subjects tab on the
IUB Libraries homepage to view resources for different subjects.

More Search Tips


Boolean Operators

Most library databases use Boolean


operators (AND, OR, and NOT). You can use them
to broaden or narrow your search results.
AND searches for records that use
both terms and narrows your results.
renewable
energy

OR searches for records that use either


term and broadens your results.
renewable
energy

China

Renewable energy AND China

NOT excludes words from the


search and narrows your results.

wind

peacekeeping

solar

United
Nations

Peacekeeping NOT United Nations

Renewable energy OR wind OR solar

Database Search Fields


Records in library databases are made of fields.
Fields can help you narrow your search.

Search fields in
OneSearch

Examples:
author
date/year of publication
title
subject/descriptor
abstract
all text (searches the full
text, if available)

Phrase Searching
Use quotation marks
or parentheses around
search words to search
for a phrase.
Example: united
nations peacekeeping
forces

Nesting
Use parentheses to put
search words into sets.
Terms in parentheses
are processed first. Use
nesting with AND,
OR, and NOT.
Example:
success AND (education OR
employment)

Improving Search Results


With Fields
Most databases automatically
search by keyword (looking for the
term anywhere in the record).
Limit the search field for a term to
narrow results.
Fields are usually in drop down
menus.
If the database has a single search
box with no drop down menu, look
for an Advanced Search option.

Truncation
Broaden your search
to include variant
word endings and
spellings. Enter the
root of the word then
the truncation symbol
[usually an asterisk
(*)].
Example: elect* = election,
electoral, elections

Wildcards
Substitute a symbol for
just one character. The
most commonly used
wildcard symbol is a
question mark (?).
Example: wom?n =
woman, women

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