Guide to Scientific WritingIntroduction
Advanced Search Tips
Many databases have options that allow you to narrow or broaden your search without having to come up with new keywords on your own. One way uses Boolean operators. If you want to combine sets of words to find references, consider the following:
AND
- AND is used to connect different or unrelated concepts
- AND instructs the database to find articles that contain both words in the same article
OR
- OR is used to connect related or synonymous concepts
- OR instructs the database to find either one of your words in an article
() or “”
- Parentheses and quotation marks are used to group terms together
- Keywords in parentheses are grouped before those items outside parentheses
- Quotation marks indicate that a certain set of words must be found together
Databases also offer you the possibility to search for specific authors and titles rather than just keywords. This can come in handy if you notice a certain author is found on many articles you are interested in, or if you want your keyword to be specifically in the title rather than just in the abstract or document.
Some databases allow you to search for all words that use the same root – such as isolate, isolated, isolation – using special symbols called wildcards. Your search should look like: isolate*.
Lastly, you will notice the database entry for the articles you find will often have keywords listed with it. You can click on one of those keywords to find other articles that share that keyword. This can come in handy as you may find words you wouldn’t have thought of yourself.
How to read and use the articles that you have found