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University Libraries WebSavvy Research Guide
How can I improve my
searching -- reducing your hits to a manageable
number? |
-
Identifying
search terms/ circular research process - it is likely that you will
discover that the first terms that you search with are not necessarily your
best terms. Be willing to try synonymous terms. Scour your
retrieved results searching for other possible terms.
-
Advanced searching -
in addition to merely entering words in a search box, most search engines
offer some advanced searching capabilities. Be sure to know which
advanced searching strategies are available on your chosen search engine. Some
examples of these techniques include:
-
Boolean logic - one
of the most prevalent advanced searching strategies, Boolean logic creates
relationships between search terms. Many search engines provide
multiple boxes which allow you to enter separate terms in each box and
connect with the appropriate Boolean term. Common Boolean operators
include:
- AND
- used when both of your search terms must be present; combining terms
with AND provides fewer results. For example, searching for
race AND
poverty retrieves results that must have both terms in them.
Using a plus (+) in front of each search term retrieves similar results (+race +poverty).
- OR - used when you will accept either of
two or more terms; provides the largest group of results. For
example, searching for car OR auto
will retrieve web sites with either of those synonyms.
- NOT - used when you want to exclude
specific terms from your results. For example, searching for
broncos not denver should
retrieve pages that are not about Denver's football team, the Denver
Broncos. Using a minus (-) in front of a search term has a similar
impact (broncos -denver)
-
Phrase
searching -
allows you to search for a group of words that are next to each other. For
example, searching for seat belt as a
phrase may find different information than merely searching for
seat and belt.
Many search tools recognize phrase searching when the terms are enclosed in
quotation marks. Be sure to identify the parameters of your
search tool's phrase searching capabilities.
-
Truncation -
allows searching of different variants of a term by use of various symbols.
For example, work* may retrieve
workforce,
workplace, workers, and etc.
Other wildcard symbols may represent single characters in terms. For
example, wind# may retrieve
windy or winds,
but not windstorm. Common
truncation symbols include: *, !, ?, $, #.
Be sure to check your specific search tool to determine which, if any,
truncation symbols are used.
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Adjacency
- similar to phrase searching but less
frequently available, adjacency allows retrieval of terms that are near each
other, but not necessarily next to each other. Alta Vista allows
adjacency searching by using the NEAR operator in between terms. Alta
Vista also allows the user to specify within how many terms you desire
adjacency (Example accountant within 5 ethics or accountant ~~5
ethics).
- Still
looking for additional details on advanced searching?
See
Boolean Searching
on the Web or
Bare Bones 101: Searching with Boolean Logic and Proximity Operators.
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Limiting - in
addition to refining your search terms, many search tools allow users to
limit to specific type of file (PDF, .gif, Microsoft Word files, etc.) or to
specific domains (.gov, www.unco.edu,
etc.)
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Finding information on a
particular page - when you're looking for information within a long web
page or document, use the FIND command (<CTRL F>) to locate information
quickly.
-
Contact an
information expert (a librarian) - contacting a reference
librarian is a good way to get a second opinion on an effective strategy or
resource.
- Want help choosing the right search tool
for your searching needs? See
UNC Libraries -
http://www.unco.edu/library/
|
UNC -
http://www.unco.edu/
| Library Guides -
http://www.unco.edu/library/guides/list.htm
University of Northern Colorado Libraries;
Greeley, CO 80639
Contact: Sarah Naper, 970-351-1533,
sarah.naper@unco.edu
Updated: 3/2/2006
Access this guide online @
http://www.unco.edu/library/guides/websavvy/weblit.htm.