Some common tips and tricks to make the most of database searching.

1. Search Strategies
Before You Start

2. Your Topic
• Follow your instructors guidelines.
• Brainstorm topics – Do some initial searching
on the web and databases to see if there is
enough information before committing.
– Not finding anything – also check with a librarian!
• Write your idea down in the form of a
sentence:

3. Your Topic
Gender miscommunication is a common form
of conflict and misunderstanding in the
workplace.

4. Your Topic
Note the most important words in your sentence:
Gender miscommunication is a common form of
conflict and misunderstanding in the workplace.

5. Keywords (Search Words)
Are these words the only words that you can
search with? Probably not.
Gender miscommunication is a common form
of conflict and misunderstanding in the
workplace.

6. Keywords (Search Words)
Gender sex, male, female, man,
woman, sex differences…
Miscommunication communication,
misunderstanding,
misinformation
Workplace Work environment,
professional, business

7. Keywords (Search Words)
Use a thesaurus / subject guide

8. Keywords (Search Words)
Talk to others (friends, family, instructors,
librarians…)

9. Begin Searching
Use your keywords in different combinations.
Watch for more words and phrases that could
be useful.

10. Search Tricks
• No matter where you search:
– Library Databases
– The Library Catalog
– The Internet
• Many of these “tricks” will apply.

11. Boolean Searching
dolphins whales dolphins
whales
AND = All results about whales AND dolphins OR = Results on either whales or
dolphins (not necessarily both)
whales dolphins
Not = Results on whales, but not if it
includes info about dolphins

12. A sample search screen:
The article must include one of these words:
whales – dolphins - porpoises
It also must include one of these words/phrases:
Atlantic Ocean – Arctic Ocean
But if fishing is mentioned, then those articles
should not be included!

13. Phrases
• Are you looking for words appearing together?
– Put the words “in quotes” to find that exact
phrase!

14. Look for Limiting Options
The Catalog…
Other library
databases…
And even with web search
engines like Google!

15. Truncation/Wildcard Symbols
Use symbols to search for various forms of a
word. (Symbols may be different in different
databases!)
Example: psych* Example: wom?n
• Psychiatric • woman
• Psychological • women
• Psychologists
• Psychotic…

16. Limit your Fields
• Limit where you are searching if you need to
narrow or increase your results.

17. Frustration?
ASK US!
Visit the library and speak to
the librarian at the reference
desk.
Make an appointment with a
librarian.
Call or e-mail.