Search Strategy

Description

Example

Boolean Operators

Boolean logic enables you to manipulate your search to ensure the maximum number of relevant results. Join your keywords using AND, OR, or NOT

The UWS Library catalogue 'Advanced Search' utilises Boolean logic.

AND narrows the search to retrieve items which contain all the words in your search

OR expands the search to retrieve either word in the search. Useful for synonyms, alternative spellings and Americanisms.

NOT narrows the search by excluding resources from the search containing a particular word. Use NOT with caution as it may also eliminate relevant material

To locate resources in the catalogue and databases on the impact of overeating on obesity your search would be overeating AND obesity. Items containing both words will be retrieved.

To locate resources in the catalogue and databases on mobile phones your search would be mobile phone OR cell phone. Items containing either phrases will be retrieved.

To locate resources in the catalogue and the databases on koalas that do not relate to diet your search would be koalas NOT diet.

Truncation

Truncation allows you to shorten a word back to the stem in order to find resources on variations of the word. It is useful for searching plurals and alternative endings to words. The truncation symbol varies between databases and catalogues. Consult the help option to determine the correct symbol to use. In databases it is often *. The UWS Library catalogue uses *.

To locate resources on tourism in Australia you search would be touris* (to retrieve tourist, tourists, tourism) AND Austral* (to retrieve Australia, Australasian, Australian). The symbol must be placed after the last letter that is the same, not after the entire word you wish to expand. For example manage* would not retrieve resources on managing.

Wild Cards

Wildcards are similar to truncation but are situated within a word to retrieve variations in spelling. They are particularly useful for capturing American and English spelling.
Many databases use the ? as the wildcard symbol.

Neither the Library Search Box nor the catalogue support wild cards.

To capture both women and woman in one search your search would be wom?n.

Brackets

Brackets are used to 'nest' topics within your search to ensure the search occurs in the correct order. This is useful for complex searches. The Library Search Box supports nesting, but the catalogue does not.

To conduct a search on youth suicide in Australia your search would be (youth OR teenagers) AND suicide AND Australia

Proximity Operators

Proximity operators allow you to search for words within a certain distance of other words. This is useful when your keywords are very broad and likely to retrieve a large number of results.
The operator N will locate words within a specified number of words to another word, regardless of the order of the words.
The operator W will locate words within a specified number of words to another word, in the order they are entered.

Some databases use variations of the N and W operators. The database help menu will indicate the correct method.

Neither the Library Search Box nor the catalogue support proximity operators.

To conduct a search for "world hunger" your search could read world N5 hunger. This would retrieve resources where the words "world" and "hunger" are within 5 words of each other, in any order.
The search world W5 hunger would retrieve resources where the word "world" is situated within 5 words before the word "hunger".

Phrase Searching

Sometimes a phrase is the most appropriate way to search a topic. Most databases offer phrase searching and the most common methods of indicating the phrase are quotation marks or brackets. The database help menu will indicate the correct method.

The UWS Library catalogue and the Library Search Box support phrase searching.

To conduct a search on police brutality in the databases you would enter the search as either "police brutality" or (police brutality).

To conduct the same search in the Library catalogue go to the 'Advanced Search' option and enter police brutality in the 'search for' box and alter the drop down menu to search the term 'as a phrase'.

Controlled Vocabulary

An example of a controlled vocabulary are the subject headings (or preferred terms) used to describe a resource. The headings, sometimes called descriptors, are assigned by a cataloguer to indicate the subject area of the resource. The headings usually adhere to a recognised industry standard. Searching using these terms can focus a search by retrieving only resources that are actually about the subject of interest, and not when the resource merely contains the words within the text. The subject headings are often available as links within articles or book records.

Using the thesaurus in a database or catalogue can also ensure you are using the correct term to conduct your search.

The UWS Library catalogue supports controlled vocabulary searching through the use of 'subject headings'.

In Academic OneFile database a keyword search for "information literacy" retrieves 767 records. A subject search for "information literacy" retrieves 240 records. The fewer results will be more targeted.

In PsycINFO database a search for "right brain" retrieves 996 records. Entering the words "right brain" into the database thesaurus indicates that "right hemisphere" is the correct subject term to use. A search on "right hemisphere" retrieves 235 records. The fewer results will be more targeted.