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ENC1102 - College Composition 2 - Miller

Creating Search Strategies

When using library resources to locate relevant sources, you will want to develop an appropriate search strategy. There are several techniques you can use to ensure that your results are more targeted and relevant.

Choose Appropriate Keywords for Your Topic

When using library resources, it's usually best to pick out the main concepts of your topic and search by using these keywords, instead of a sentence or question. Consider which parts of your topic are essential, and use those.

The main keywords for the following research questions are bolded and in purple:

  • Do plastic bags contribute to pollution in the ocean?
  • Is global warming a threat to polar bears?
  • Is the ketogenic diet effective for weight loss?

You can combine these keywords with the word AND:

  • plastic bags AND pollution AND ocean
  • global warming AND polar bears
  • ketogenic diet AND weight loss

To keep phrases (two or more words) together, place them in quotation marks:

  • "plastic bags" AND pollution AND ocean
  • "global warming" AND "polar bears"
  • "ketogenic diet" AND "weight loss"

Look for Official Terms

Sometimes there are ways that experts in a field phrase a term that are different than common usage. Looking up the controlled vocabulary used within a database can help you retrieve better search results.

When in a database, look for a link that says Thesaurus, MeSH, or Subject Terms to look up this vocabulary (typically at the top of the screen).

For example, in one medical database, looking up do not resuscitate in the MeSH area shows that the correct term to use in this database is resuscitation orders.

Resuscitation Orders  

By using the official terms, you will find more relevant results. You can also scan library catalog and database results for sources that look relevant and see which subjects are listed.

Subjects highlighted in an Academic Search Complete database article result

Truncation

Truncation (shortening your keyword) makes the search tool look at other possible forms of a word for which you are searching. Use truncation to find plurals and variations on the endings of a word. To truncate, use the asterisk symbol *. You can enter this symbol by hitting Shift and 8 on the keyboard at the same time or by hitting the asterisk symbol on the number pad.

Environment*
searches environment, environments, environmental
Diet*
searches diet, diets, dieter, dieters, etc.

Look For Synonyms

When considering your search terms, be sure to consider if there are synonyms or other ways to express your topic, such as spelling variations or related terms. You can combine these synonyms using the word OR. This tells the search engine to include both possible options in the search results.

  • "global warming" OR "climate change"
  • "death penalty" OR "capital punishment"
  • "weight loss" OR obesity

Commitment to Equal Access and Equal Opportunity

Santa Fe College is committed to an environment that embraces diversity, respects the rights of all individuals, is open and accessible, and is free of harassment and discrimination. For more information, visit sfcollege.edu/eaeo or contact equity.officer@sfcollege.edu.

SACSCOC Accreditation Statement

Santa Fe College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). For more information, visit sfcollege.edu/sacscoc.