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Research Databases III -- Truncation, Connectors, and Designating a Field to Be Searched
Using truncation, Boolean connectors, and specified search fields will help you focus your search query.

Using Truncation for Better Results from a Keyword Search
When searching by keyword, utilize truncation symbols to retrieve alternative endings to your root words.

Our SSU and OhioLINK catalogs and the EBSCO databases use the asterisk (*) as their truncation symbol -- so a search for TAX* will retrieve records that have the words "TAX," "TAXABLE," "TAXATION," "TAXED," "TAXES," "TAXING," and so forth. Different database vendors, however, use different symbols; LexisNexis, for instance, uses the exclamation point (!) for truncation. Check the database "help" to find which symbols are used in any particular database.

Similarly, when searching by keyword, utilize wildcards to substitute for a single character. EBSCO databases use the question mark (?) as their wildcard symbol -- so a search for ANALYS?S will retrieve records that have the words "ANALYSIS" or "ANALYSES." Different database vendors, however, use different symbols; LexisNexis, for instance, uses the asterisk (*) as its wildcard. Check the database "help" to find which symbols are used in any particular database.

Results List

Boolean Operators and Other Connectors
For more specific results, concepts can be combined using AND, OR, and NOT. In databases that present multiple search windows, you can use the menu beside the search window to select the operator you want. In databases that present a single search window, you can type in the connector that you need (for example payroll tax* AND Medicare.)

AND is usually the default connector. Selecting AND narrows and makes a search more specific by combining two or more concepts. In the example, when we combine payroll tax* with Medicare, we retrieve only 91 citations (compared to 1594 for payroll tax* by itself in the example above.)

Boolean AND

OR broadens the search. OR is useful when more than one word or phrase may retrieve useful information. In this example, we have combined real estate tax* OR property tax*.

Boolean OR

NOT excludes citations that contain the word you add, and so narrows the search. In our example we have combined payroll tax* NOT income to exclude articles that are about income tax. NOT can also, however, exclude items that you might have found useful. "Not" should be used with care.

Boolean NOT

Other Connectors
Most databases allow other connectors in addition to AND, OR, and NOT. Check the database "help" to see which connectors are used in a specific database.

More Sophisticated Combinations
You can combine connectors, truncation symbols, and wildcards in many ways to structure very sophisticated search queries. In this example we are directing the database to locate records for articles with the phrase "universal health care" that also include either "ethic", "ethical," "ethicist," "ethicists," "ethics," etc., or "moral," "moralist," "moralistic," "morality," "morals," etc.

Multiple Combinations

Selecting a Search Field
Most databases default to a keyword search option; however, you can generally select a search in another search field such as author, title, or subject to narrow a search -- or you can select full text (all text) to expand a search.

Field-specific searches provide greater specificity. For example, if you are investigating economic cycles and do a keyword search for "depressions," you will get a lengthy list of results with articles not only about economic depressions, but also mental depressions, geographical depressions, and even anatomical depressions. And, in addition to results that locate the the right word in the wrong context, you will also get results that mention the keyword only peripherally. Searching by subject, author, title, etc. will help you find articles focused on the topic.

Some databases show suggested subjects in a sidebar beside the search results list while others, which are thesaurus-driven, suggest subject headings as an intermediary step in the search. Clicking a subject in the sidebar, as you see in the example below, will generate a new list that is limited to your original term(s) AND the new subject.

Database Suggested Subjects

Help
Because many different companies produce catalogs and research databases, you will notice differences in the screens, command keys, and functions. Guides to most catalogs and databases are available online. Look for HELP or SEARCH TIPS -- or ask a librarian for assistance.

For tutorials that will teach you to use specific databases, see our webpage Tutorials, Guides, Tips, and Help.

To go to the next page in the Research Strategies tutorial, click Databases IV.

Need Help?

Get help via IM, email (Reference_Services@Shawnee.edu), or by phoning (740.351.3321).

If you prefer face-to-face assistance, stop by the Clark Memorial Library Reference Counter or schedule a Research Consultation with a Reference Librarian.

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