Database Search Tips

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Database Search Tips

In most databases, you will get some results if you just type keywords in a search box.

But is that a good search? That depends on how the database has been programmed to search, and they are all different.

If you don't think carefully about what you are asking it, you may get 20% of what is there, instead of 100%.

Multiple words

If you type in more than one word, what will it do? e.g media ethics

• it might find results only when the words are together in that order, i.e. as a phrase
• it might find results when any of the words are there - that will give things about media and things about ethics, but only some of them would be about media ethics
• if you are lucky it might select records where both words are present somewhere

If the results you get are not what you wanted, you will need to find out how to do the right kind of search, e.g.

• you might need to link your words with AND
• you might need to find out how to to search for a phrase - maybe you have to use inverted commas? e.g. "media ethics"

Less = More

It may not be a good idea to type in too many words. More words may just confuse your search.

• The trick is to choose the best one or two words you can think of for your subject and experiment to see how many results you get.
• You can always add more words later to narrow down your subject - or take some out to broaden it.

Boolean logic - many databases use this

 AND   =  both terms
 OR   =   either 1st or 2nd term
 NOT   =  finds 1st term except if 2nd term present

See the diagrams from Internet Tutorials on Boolean Searching on the Internet for an illustration of this.

Other ideas

• You may be able to limit your search terms to only certain areas, e.g. author or title word

• There may be a subject index (thesaurus) which can help you tap into the words that have been used by the database's indexers

• You can use truncation to make sure you include variations of a word such as plurals. It can save you having to repeat your search to make sure you don't miss anything. Cut the word short and replace it with the database's chosen truncation symbol:

 Truncation		comput* (sometimes $ instead of *)
 Wildcard		organi?ation
 Proximity		satellite w/3 wireless

• It needs a bit of thought to make sure you don't get too many irrelevant words

• Different databases use different symbols and rules - check the online help!

Make the computer do the work for you

• Use Marking tools to do the work of collecting the details of articles

• Save or email yourself the results

• Save searches you might want to run again

• Set up alerts to be regularly run automatically, with the results emailed to you

• Make use of any “personal space” opportunities in databases to save things that interest you