Searching Tips

							Searching Tips


    El Centro College
        Library
I can‟t find anything!
El Centro Library …
   to the rescue!
 Databases –   links to articles, e-books and more!

 Web Links - reliable sites we‟ve discovered to
 save you time!

 MLA/APA   Examples - tips on writing your paper
 and work cited, along with examples on how to
 cite books, magazines, newspapers, web sites…
What’s next?
Ready to search? Let‟s look at how
 to narrow and focus your topic
 by…
Using Search Techniques
              Brainstorm using
               keywords
              Boolean – and, or and
               not
              Phrase Searching –
               using quote marks
              Advanced Searching –
               by domain
              More details to follow!
  Brainstorm with Keywords
When you don‟t know what
something is called, use all
the words you can think of
to describe it in a keyword
search

  Synonyms
  Abbreviations
  Variations on a word (tv or
television or media)
  Opposites
       Boolean Operators
Define the relationship between words or groups
  of words
 AND narrows your search because both terms
  must be found
 OR broadens your search because either term
  may be found
 NOT excludes a term from your search
   Boolean
       AND OR   NOT
Nesting Boolean Operators
(foxes OR rabbits) AND pest control
Search Engine Math

 + (AND)
 - (NOT)
Phrase Searching
 Examples:
  "assisted  suicide"
  "better business bureau"

  "gun control"

  "hate crimes”

   "war crimes tribunal”

   "william shakespeare"
Truncation
   * is the most common truncation symbol
      terror* will retrieve
          terror, terrorism, terrorist, terrorists,
           terrorize, terrorized, terrorizing
       rat* will retrieve
          rat, rats, rate, rationalize, ratio, ratify,
          rather, and all other words beginning
          with the letters rat …
Proximity Searching
Searching for two or more words that appear a
  specific number of words apart
N (near)      words can be in any order
    dallas N5 cowboys
    Dallas Cowboys or cowboys in Dallas
W (within) words must be in the exact order
    tax W5 reform
    tax reform
    will not find - reform of taxes
Wild Cards ?
Can substitute for 1 character
    colo?r
       retrieves either color or colour
    wom?n
       retrieves either woman or women
    comput??
       retrieves compute or computer or
       computed but not computers or
       computing
   Field Searching vs Keyword
     Title
     Domain


    In a Yahoo Search
    t: - will restrict searches to document titles only
    compare: olympics versus t:olympics
    u: - will restrict searches to document URLs only
    compare: australia versus u:au
Limit the Results…

       Limitors:
          full text
          by periodical title
          date range
          scholarly/peer
           reviewed journal
          articles with images
Additional Limits:
               Search Options:
                  publication type
                   (varies with
                   database)
                      periodical
                      newspaper
                      book
                      primary source
                       document
Evaluating Web Sites for Accuracy
“An alarming number of web sites are parodies, „hate
sites‟, heavily biased or simply non-authoritative.

In a recent informal survey of Year 7 students, it was
found that nearly 60% of the students could not
differentiate between a news item and an
advertisement on an authentic newspaper page.

Can the average student differentiate between the
factual or otherwise on the Internet, let alone locate
them?”
                 Good Luck!
   Ask a Librarian for Help!

   Check out our website for more info:
     http://www.elcentrocollege.edu/library/