1. KEYWORD
SEARCHING:
ADVANCED
TECHNIQUES
Kris Jacobson, GBS Library
January 2012

2. Google Search Tips

3. Basic Search: Natural
Language Searching
 Method used for most Google searches
 Searches for terms in close proximity
 Not the most powerful searching method for
most searches

4. Advanced search techniques yield
better results
 Use quotation marks for phrases: “civil rights”
 Combine terms for more specific results:
“temperance movement” women will get more
targeted results than temperance
 Use OR for synonyms, related terms, and
alternate spellings : Mao Tse-Tung OR Mao
Zedong
 Use site: to limit results to certain domain
types (.edu, .org, .gov):

5. Searching in GBS Library
Databases

6. General search tips
Just as with Google searching:
Use quotation marks for phrase searches
Combining terms will yield more targeted
results

7. Boolean Searching
violence AND
television
AND
is used to narrow a search.
This will retrieve records that
have both keywords.
college OR
university
OR
is used to expand a search.
This will retrieve records that
have either keyword. It’s
useful for synonyms.
sports NOT
professional
NOT
is used to narrow a search.
This will not retrieve records
that have the unwanted
keyword.

8. Use Truncation
 Truncation symbols are used at the end of
word stems and allow you to find all words
beginning with the same root.
 The asteriskor star(* ) is most commonly
used
 Example: educat* will find educate, educating,
education, educational, educator, educators,
etc.
 Works in the GBS Databases, not Google

9. Use the Advanced Search Screen
in the GBS Databases
 Improves your results
 Gives more control over search
 Most “advanced search” screens in databases
have easy-to-use Boolean interface
 Go beyond Boolean and truncation. Use
advanced features to get more targeted
results (e.g., restricting searches to
Scholarly/Professional resources, restricting
searches to specific article types, etc.)

10. Advanced Search Screen

11. Use Parentheses (Nesting)
 Use parentheses when searching multiple terms in multiple
rows. Make sure to close off each set of parentheses.

12. Use subject suggestions to
modify searches
 Use subject headings to narrow your search or
just for new keyword ideas:

13. Need Research Help?
 Come to the Reference Desk anytime from
7:00 am to 3:15 pm school days.
 Use our * New* Reference Chat service
(linked from the GBS LibGuides homepage)
from 8:00 am to 3:15 pm school days.
 Email us anytime!