Search Techniques

Boolean - linking search terms with AND OR NOT for better results

Interactive Boolean Search Tutorial from New York University Libraries: http://library.nyu.edu/research/tutorials/boolean/tutorial.html

Education World: Lesson Plan for Use of Boolean Search Terms to Shorten Web Searches http://www.education-world.com/a_tsl/archives/01-1/lesson0012.shtml

Keyword searching - searching for information based on a word. This word could be a topic, word or proper noun.

CUNY Tutorial 4: Use Technological Tools to Access Information - Keyword Searching http://ols.cuny.edu/tutorial/04_use/M4B2c.html

MIT Libraries Information Navigator - Keyword vs Subject Searching http://libraries.mit.edu/tutorials/general/subjectsearching.html

Phrase - searching using a number of search terms linked to make a phrase

MIT Libraries Information Navigator - Phrase Searching http://libraries.mit.edu/tutorials/general/phrases.html

Wildcard (or truncation) - use of a symbol, often * or % or ? in place of a letter or letters in a search term

Bright Planet : Guide to effective searching of the Internet - Topic 9 http://www.brightplanet.com/deepcontent/tutorials/search/part3.asp#topic9

CUNY Tutorial 4: Use Technological Tools to Access Information - Truncation
http://ols.cuny.edu/tutorial/04_use/M4B5.html

Proximity - searching for one keyword within a certain proximity or nearness to another

CUNY Tutorial 4: Use Technological Tools to Access Information - Proximity Operators http://ols.cuny.edu/tutorial/04_use/M4B4.html

Field - searching in specific database fields e.g. author, title, date, source

CUNY Tutorial 4: Use Technological Tools to Access Information - Field Searching
http://ols.cuny.edu/tutorial/04_use/M4B6.html

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