Enter your Boolean searches in the Advanced Search of a database.Īlways go to the Advanced Search in a database to enter your Boolean searches because it gives you multiple boxes with the Boolean operators between them. To find a research study, add "AND study" to your keywords. If you want a literature review, add "AND review" to your keywords. Add keywords to limit the type of article you retrieve. Entering the keyword "blue whale*" will look for both blue whale and blue whales. You can avoid doing multiple searches for variations on word endings using the truncation symbol * (the asterisk) in most databases. Use the truncation symbol (or wildcard symbol) to search for word variations. The search will find all articles containing "blue whale" and exclude the articles that also contain "Atlantic Ocean." NOT excludes articles that you don't want.OR is placed between synonyms and makes your search broader. The search will find all articles that contain one word, or the other, or both.The search will find all of the articles that contain both words. AND makes your search narrower.These words have a special function when used in a database. Create Boolean searches using the keywords.Ī Boolean search is a search using the words AND, OR and NOT between the keywords. Synonyms for blue whale are baleen whale and Balaenoptera musculus. Think of words similar to your keywords in case a database doesn't use your original keywords. The keywords in the research question "What is the feeding range of the blue whale in the Pacific Ocean?" are feeding range, blue whale and Pacific Ocean. Keywords are words that carry content and meaning. Six Steps to Smart Searching Identify the keywords in your research question.
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