Searching
Creating a Search Query
Phrases | logical operators
| truncation | wild cards
| nesting
Most databases don't understand the natural language
we speak and need help understanding what we're
looking for. For this, they require a special
set of conventions, including:
Quotation
marks
|
Around exact
phrases (e.g. "university of washington")
|
Logical or Boolean
operators
|
Connecting words that narrow or broaden
a search to include only what you need. Examples:
OR, AND, NOT |
Wildcards and truncation
symbols
(* # ? !)
|
For terms that have variant forms of spelling
or different possible endings. Examples: child*
for child, children, childhood, childish,
etc. |
Nesting
|
Placing terms in parentheses to indicate
separate units. (Like an equation, (A or B)
not C |
Databases and search engines apply these
rules differently, so check HELP files to find
out how to use them.
Click on the links below for a demonstration
of each strategy. Select either an animated movie
or a static image.
Function
|
Search Strategy
|
| Narrowing |
AND
NOT |
Broadening
|
OR
Wildcard |
Combining
|
Nesting |
|
