Research and Writing Guides
Research and Documentation Online by Diana Hacker is a comprehensive guide to writing, research, and citation for the Humanities, Social Sciences, History, and Sciences. The guide includes the following:
- How to find and document sources
- Tips for evaluating resources
- List of style manuals
- Samples of how to format papers
Keyword Searching
Using AND/OR/NOT (Boolean Search Operators)
AND |
Use AND to focus search and combine different aspects of your topic. Example: vegetarianism and environment |
OR |
Use OR to expand your search and find synonyms/related terms. Example: global warming or climate change |
NOT |
Use NOT to exclude a word or phrase from your search Example: emissions trading not United States |
Additional Search Tips
|
"Phrase search" - Use quotation marks (" ") to search for a particular phrase. Example: "greenhouse gas emissions" |
|
Truncation * - Use an asterisk to find variations of a word. Put an asterisk following the root of the word to find all variations of that word, including singular and plural. Example: environment* (finds environments, environmental, environmentalist, etc.) |
|
(Grouping/Nesting Keywords) - Use parentheses ( ) as a way to group all your search terms together. Example: (climate change or global warming) and population growth |
