Search Terms & Strategies

In searching for information from print or electronic resources, finding too much is just as
frustrating as finding too little. Some information will be irrelevant, out-dated, or not appropriate
for your intended audience.
Begin by asking yourself the following questions:
• Who is my intended audience? What type of information will I need to provide for them?
• Is there a specialized vocabulary for my topic or discipline? Will synonyms help?
• Do I need to consider plural vs. singular forms, spelling variants, or acronyms? Have
there been name changes, e.g. Ceylon to Sri Lanka, Esso to Exxon?
• What type of material is needed? Historical, current, or forecast? Descriptive, factual or
statistical?
• Which formats are likely to have each type of material?
○ General books: historical→current & descriptive
○ Reference books: current & factual
○ Magazines or journals: current & descriptive
○ Market research reports: current→forecast & factual or statistical
Next, you want to summarize your topic and identify the key concepts:
Description of the Topic:

Subtopics?:

• Most topics can be broken down into two or three main concepts.
Concept 1:
Concept 2:
Concept 3:
• Specific subtopics may need to be addressed in separate searches with their own
collection of concepts, search terms, & database sources
Once you have each main concept, think of synonyms, broader, narrower, and
related terms
• Sometime you can think of these on your own but other times you will find these as you
search by examining the subject headings, descriptors, or identifiers applied to the results
of each of your searches. You can also check the database thesaurus to help you
determine some of these terms.
Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3
Synonyms: Synonyms: Synonyms:

Broader terms: Broader terms: Broader terms:

Narrower terms: Narrower terms: Narrower terms:

Related terms: Related terms: Related terms:

Combine all your concepts and terms with Boolean Operators

• "AND" - use this to connect terms that must be in a record or citation.
○ This will narrow a search as both terms must be present in a record.
○ Use this between each concept since each concept must come back in your results.
• "OR" - use this to connect synonyms within a particular concept.
○ This will broaden a search since only one term specified must be present to be
identified.
○ Use this between your synonyms, boarder, narrower, and related terms since any
of them can come back in your results.
• "NOT" – Use with caution as it eliminates items that mention the word you eliminate.
In Addition:
• Make the database work for you.
○ Select "Advanced Search" or a similar option which will usually give you
multiple lines and search boxes in which to enter your concepts and terms. Use 1
line for each of your concepts and then type its terms in the box or boxes
○ Be alert for additional search options available from each database that may help
you focus your search. These can include:
 Limiting results by date of publication
 Sorting of results by relevance to your search terms
 Limiting results by article type, publication type, language, etc.
• Not everything you may need is on the Internet or in a full-text database. As shown above
some types of information are only available in books or reports
Last but not Least:
• Ask a Librarian!!!! Librarians are experts in helping you identify useful search terms and
crafting effective searches. Find the subject specialist in your area as he or she has the
most experience with the databases, resources, strategies, and terminology to help you.