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 |
These tips pertain to many library databases including the "Advanced Search" screen of Pirate Search.
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 |
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:
Park University Library 8700 NW River Park Drive, Box 61 - Parkville, MO - 64152 |
Phone: (816) 584-6285 Toll-free: (800) 270-4347 |