Library: U.S. History: Search Tips

Search Tips

Need help Searching? Check out these Search Tips!

These tips pertain to many library databases including the "Advanced Search" screen of Pirate Search.

Boolean Operators (AND / OR)

	AND	OR
How it works:	Search results contain both Term #1 and Term #2	Search results contain either Term #1 or Term #2 (or both)
Effects on search results:	Narrows / Fewer results	Broadens / More results
Examples with diagrams:	Peas AND Carrots Results = the middle area overlapped by both circles	Peas OR Carrots Results = the entire area of both circles

Asterisks and Quotation Marks

Using an asterisk wildcard (*) at the end of a partial word will broaden search results by including multiple word endings.

When searching for a specific phrase (two or more words together), adding quotation marks around that phrase will typically narrow your search results.

For example:

Using child* will search for all variations of the word child, including children, children's, or childhood.
A search on "sexual strategies theory" -- with the quotation marks included -- will retrieve only those records containing these three words together in this exact order.

Building a Better Search

Identifying the major concepts and similar terms (synonyms) for your research topic...

Example topic: "The effects of media violence on children"

	Original Term		Synonym #1		Synonym #2
	Media	OR	Television	OR	Movies
AND	Violence	OR	Aggression
AND	Children	OR	Youth	OR	Adolescents

...can help you construct a better search query, which yields better search results!

Boolean Operators Video

This video from Lincoln Memorial University explains how Boolean Operators work!