Recommended reading
Chapter 6 Building a Search Strategy
Different search techniques are available to help you search smarter e.g. search operators AND, OR, NOT, phrase searching, truncation and wildcard and proximity operators.
Using relevant search techniques will improve how you search and help you to find more targeted and relevant results.
Search skills are relevant for searching databases and search engines. If you need database help and guidance including key databases for your subject area see section on Using databases.
Many databases allow you to make a focused search using specific terms. We call these terms Boolean operators.
Boolean operators tell a database how to combine your search words and what words you do or do not want in your results. Instead of finding thousands of irrelevant results, you can create a search which finds a much smaller number of useful results.
There are three main Boolean operators:
The 'Advanced Search' option on a database usually has an option to select the Boolean operator you want. You can also type them into your search bar manually - make sure to use capital letters.
Use the tabs above to see what each operator does and how it can help.
Climate change AND Wellbeing
Using AND, this search would bring back results that mentioned both climate change and wellbeing.
Adolescent OR Teenager
Using OR, this search would bring back results that mentioned either adolescent or teenager.
Dementia NOT Alzheimer's
Using NOT, this search would bring back results that mentioned dementia but would exclude any that mention Alzheimer's.
In addition to Boolean operators, you can also use symbols in your search to make it more effective.
We have listed the most common search techniques in the table below. Different databases may use different symbols - if you aren't sure, look for the 'Help' option in the database you are using.
| Technique | What it does | When to use it | Symbol | Example | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phrase searching | Finds an exact phrase | If you have too many irrelevant results | " " | "health promotion" | Items with 'health' and 'promotion' directly next to each other |
| Truncation | Finds words that begin with the same letters | If you have a word which can be singular or plural | * | manag* | manage, manager, manages, managing, managed, management |
| Wildcard | Finds words with variant spellings | If you have words with different spellings like British and American English | ? | behavio?r | behavior, behaviour |
Use of proximity and adjacency operators are normally only required under specific circumstances during advanced searching. These enable you to find specific keywords near or close to each other, specifying the number and order in which they appear.
Check the help guide/search tips of the database you are searching to establish correct format as they do differ from database to database.
Note: Not all databases support proximity or adjacency searching.
Consider are your search terms hyphenated or not? e.g. life-style OR life style
Some databases will search for both hyphenated/non-hyphenated terms automatically. Check the help guide/search tips or run a test search to check results retrieved.
Example: (mobile OR digital) AND technology will retrieve results with mobile technology, digital technology or both words with technology.
This helps to reduce the retrieval of irrelevant results as your search is combined in a logical order.
Note: Nesting is useful for search engines e.g. Discover and Google Scholar.
Not all databases will support nesting or may use different techniques. Check the help guide/search tips of the database you are searching.
If you have more questions or need help with advanced search techniques contact your academic librarian.
