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Advanced Search Strategies for Online Databases
Truncation
This technique is used to look for the root word and all of its variations. This is an alternative to the OR operator. Truncation symbols vary among databases. The most common are:
* (the asterick)
? (the question mark)
# (the pound sign)
Example: statist*, statist?, or statist# will find statistics, statistical, statistician.
Phrase or Adjacency Searching
Internet search engines and selected databases provide the option to search for phrases or keywords next to each other. This is particularly effective in full text databases. Consult the help screens in each database to determine which options are available.
Phrase searching uses simple quotes: "teaching methods".
Adjacency searches can use the symbol "adj": teaching adj methods.
Proximity operators locate words next to or within a few words of each other. (w/)
The w/ operator allows terms to be found within 1-several words of each other or within the same sentence or paragraph.
- Teaching w/1 methods finds the phrase "teaching methods".
- Teaching w/3 methods will find these terms within 3 words of each other. This search is very helpful when searching for people when you don't know how their name is used in the database (initials, full, partial).
When searching full text databases such as Lexis-Nexis, restricting searches to sentences or paragraphs is essential.
- To find words in the same sentence, use the connector "w/s". Example: teaching w/s methods
- To find words in the same paragraph, use "w/p". Example: teaching w/p methods
Go to additional tips for searching the internet.
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