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There are some
basic search skills that you can use in most databases. Knowing
about these will save you time, and help you to do more effective
searches.
For search tricks you can use in search engines such as Google, check out our Searching Google page.
Keyword Search
An easy way
to search for books or articles by topic is to do a keyword search.
This searches for your word(s) in the title of the book/article
and the subject headings. In some databases, it also searches the
abstract (summary) of the article and even the full text.
Advanced Search
Often, the best
way to search by keyword is to choose the Advanced Search option
in a database. This allows you to be more specific. You can "mix
and match" (i.e. combine) your search terms, and sometimes
you can limit your search by language, type of publication, or other
criteria. [Show
me... ]
For more information
on how to combine search terms, see "How to Put Your Search
Together" below.
Search Tips
Look at your
topic, and select relevant keywords. See 'Choosing
successful search terms'.
Do not type
in a whole sentence! It will only work if the database happens
to contain that exact sentence.
Only type
in a phrase if you really want that exact phrase, and not any
other combination of those words.
Instead, type
in keywords and try combining them in different ways to get what
you want.
- Use AND to
combine terms and narrow your search. [Show
me...]
- Use OR to
broaden your search and find more. [Show
me... ]
- Use NOT to
omit words from your search. [Show
me... ]
- Use TRUNCATION
to find variations on a word. [Show
me... ]
How
to Put Your Search Together
You can combine
your search terms by going into Advanced Search and typing different
terms into the boxes. Use drop-down menus to specify what you want
to search for. [Show
me... ]
You can
also combine terms in a basic search box, using and, or, not, and
truncation.
e.g. (cats
or dogs) and allerg*
will find
anything with either the word 'cats' or the word 'dogs' and any
word beginning with 'allerg', such as allergies, allergy, or allergic.
Subject Heading
Search
Records in GIL
or GALILEO@UGA include subject headings. These use a specified vocabulary
to describe what the book or article is about.
Reasons to
search subject headings:
- The book/article
contains a substantial amount of material on the topics listed
in the subject headings; it doesn't just mention the topics in
passing. [Show
me... ]
- You can browse
a list of subject headings and see all the possible variations
of your topic. [Show
me... ]
How to search
subject headings:
- In GIL, go
to Exact Search, type in your topic, click in the radio button
beside 'subject heading', and hit 'search'. [Show
me... ]
- In GALILEO@UGA
databases, it varies from one database to another. Generally,
you should go into Advanced Search, type your topic into the search
box(es), and choose 'subject' or 'descriptor' from the drop-down
menu next to the search box. [Show
me... ]
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