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Keywords
When using library resources, it's usually best to pick out the main concepts of your topic and search by using these (referred to as keywords), instead of a sentence or question. Consider which parts of your topic are essential, and use those.
When looking for keywords, focus on nouns and noun phrases; these are more effective search terms. Ignore verbs and words like influenced, affected, etc.
Combine two or more terms with the word AND.
Here are some example searches:
- antibiotic resistance
- diversity AND healthcare
- nursing homes AND risk management
- electronic health records
Look For Controlled Vocabulary
Sometimes there are ways that scientific or medical personnel 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). You may also use the MeSH Browser to look up MeSH terms.
For example, in Healthcare Administration Database, looking up falls in the "Look up MeSH subjects" area shows that the correct term to use in this database is accidental falls:
Phrase Searching
To keep a common phrase of two or more words together, enclose them in "quotation marks." Be sure to only use quotation marks with common phrases, or you may eliminate relevant results that might phrase a topic slightly differently.
- "medication errors"
- "electronic health records" AND HIPAA
- "nursing homes" AND "care coordination"
Inputting Search Terms
Most database search screens have an advanced search screen, with multiple search boxes. Place different concepts in the different search boxes.
If you are using controlled vocabulary, such as MeSH terms, you will want to change the drop-down next to that term.
Synonyms and related terms can be placed in the same box, with the word OR separating each term.
