CAMS 1301: Presentational Speaking

Identify Keywords

Identify keywords that relate to your topic to assist you when you are searching for resources. Often different words can describe the same concepts and as a researcher, you can never be sure which keywords will bring back the information you are looking for.  

Brainstorm related terms, broader terms and narrower terms related to your topic.  

Keyword Generators

The wildcard is an advanced search technique that can be used to maximize your search results in library databases.  Wildcards are used in search terms to represent one or more other characters.

The two most commonly used wildcards in our library databases are:

• An asterisk (*) may be used to specify any number of characters. It is typically used at the end of a root word, when it is referred to as "truncation."   This is great when you want to search for variable endings of a root word.
  • For example:  searching for educat* would tell the database to look for all possible endings to that root.  Results will include educate, educated, education, educational or educator.
     
• A question mark (?) may be used to represent a single character, anywhere in the word.  It is most useful when there are variable spellings for a word, and you want to search for all variants at once.  
  • For example, searching for colo?r would return both color and colour.  

While the library primiarly has EBSCO databases that use the wildcard in this manner, non-EBSCO databases (and internet search engines) might use the wildcard differently.  To find out what works in your favorite database, look for the "help" link (usually along the top of the screen). 

• Google, however, uses it similarly to the EBSCO databases: "How do I change how search results show up?" Per Google Help: "The asterisk (*) can be used as a wildcard. For example, searching for "cars *" will return results that contain the word "cars" followed by any number of other words."

Wildcard search in the SearchONU database:

Wildcard search in the library catalog:

Boolean searching is a way to improve search results. Boolean terms are called "operators." 

• If your result set (number of items found or retrieved) is too large to read through productively, add another term or terms to your search to make the search more specific (using AND).
• If your result set has fewer items than you need, look over them. Then add additional related or synonymous (having a similar definition) terms to broaden the search (using OR).

Boolean operators are AND, OR, and NOT [sometimes AND NOT or NO]. They can be combined in the same search.

AND narrows a search. (more precise)

• usually results in fewer items than a search for either term
• for example: cooking and Italian

OR broadens a search. (more inclusive; more items retrieved)

• can have up to the total of the two terms together
• for example: research or study

NOT/NO eliminates items. (Some databases may have a different way to express this.)

• Use NOT to eliminate homographic terms (words spelled the same but mean something different) and subcategories of topics that are not relevant.
  • Example: Mercury not (god or element or planet)
    or, using a different combination of Boolean terms: Mercury and (automobile or car or vehicle)
  • Example: painting not watercolor
• Be careful: Mexico NOT New would eliminate items about Mexico the country that have the word "new" in the title, such as, "What's new in Mexico" and "Brave new Mexico."

Notes:

• It is not productive to go through search results of more than two or three hundred. (An exception to this would be if you are working on a thesis, dissertation, or comprehensive research paper.) 
• If no more than 1 out of 10 of your retrieved items are relevant, narrow your search (AND).
• Some databases may use Boolean operators under a "Limit" or "Combine" function.