Keyword Searching
Use the Search Generator from Northwest Missouri State University to help you create a keyword search.
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 |
Search Strategies
| Goal | How To | Example |
| find a phrase | Place quotation marks around a group of words | "secondary education" |
|
broaden a keyword search
|
Use an asterisk (*) at the end of a word to search
for variations of a word at one time |
educat* searches for educate, educating, education, etc. |
|
search for multiple
keywords |
AND searches for items that contain both keywords | educat* AND teach* retrieves documents that have both words |
|
multiple
keywords |
OR searches for items that have at least one of the keywords | educat* OR teach* pulls items with either word |
|
stop a keyword from showing
up in results
|
NOT excludes items with a specific keyword | educat* NOT secondary means that any items with the secondary word will not show up in the search results |
|
look for words near one another
|
use "near" in between keywords | educat* near secondary |