Use ADVANCED SEARCH. It will help guide your search.
Keep it simple. Limit the number of terms you put in the search box. Remove insignificant words.
Try different search terms. Think of the words the writer might use. Switch the order of your terms.
No results. Check your spelling. Swap out one term.
Try different search engines/library database. Some results will be the same, but not all.
Search again. Research means searching again and again.
The following search tricks usually work. Check each search engine or library database for Advanced Search or Search Help options.
|
Trick / Operator |
What it does |
Example |
Number of Results |
|
“Quotation marks” |
Searches the exact phrase |
“Spokane Falls” |
reduces |
|
- NOT |
Excludes a term |
-college NOT college |
reduces |
|
OR |
Searches for either term. Use parentheses. |
(bigfoot OR sasquatch) |
increases |
|
*wildcard |
Allows for different letters or terms to be filled in. |
Franklin * Roosevelt wom*n |
Increases |
|
site: |
Limit results to search a specific website or domain |
site:edu site:spokanefalls.edu |
reduces |
|
~ |
Searches the term, as well as synonyms and alternatives |
~car |
increases |
|
What you are looking for |
Search Box Option 1 |
Search Box Option 2 |
|
Crime rates, but not murder rates, in Spokane, Washington coming from a government agency. |
“crime rates” -murder Spokane site:gov |
crime rates -murder Spokane site:gov |