Advanced Search Tips

Getting frustrated? Not finding relevant sources? Here are some strategies to try when searching the databases.

No Google Searches

Many students make the mistake of using the same type of search strategies that they use in Google. They cram their keywords into one search box when Advanced search boxes are available. 

Search tips:

1. Separate your keywords into different search boxes by topic using the Advanced search boxes.

In the example above, all the search words are in the same search box. Break the different concepts up and put the terms in their own search box. 

 

2. Combine synonyms or related terms by putting them in the same search box and combining them with OR.   

There is no one correct way to combine search terms. You'll find yourself experimenting with different combinations. In the example above, we have: 

american indian or native americans or red power or american indian movement

AND

activism or protest or resistance or civil disobedience

AND 

California  

3. Truncate keywords to retrieve various endings for your search terms. Truncation is great for pulling up both singular and plurals of your word.

Examples:  

• American Indian* will search for American Indians and also American Indian (it doesn't matter if you use upper or lower case letters)
• activis* will search for activism, activist, activists
• protest* will search for protest, protests, protesting, protester, protesters
• stereotyp* will locate stereotype, stereotypes, stereotypical, stereotyping

Keep looking at your results, particularly the subjects, for other keywords you can integrate into your searches to focus and narrow your results. You will need to try different search combinations and to vary your search terms. 

4. Phrase searches. (Optional: Only if you notice many false hits from the words in your phrase being separated) Usually, you won't need to do this, but you may put phrases in quotation marks to keep the words next to each other.

Examples:

• "native ethnobotany"
• "tribal sovereignty"

IMPORTANT NOTE: Do NOT start your search with parenthesis or too many limiters until you've seen your preliminary results. You may miss important keywords or articles if you limit too aggressively at the beginning of your research. 

Perseverance and Patience

Like any detective, you might have to try to follow many different trails. Try various search combinations! Research will require patience, critical thinking, perseverance, and a sharp eye for clues.

As you view the results of your research, your ideas for the content of your essay will evolve as you discover research findings, author points of view, and previously unknown aspects of your topic. Don't be like the grumpy TV police commander who wants to focus on one suspect (the wrong one) just to close the case quickly. He will only look at partial evidence and hearsay then arrest the wrong person because of his preconceived notions.

You should be open to findings that contradict what you previously believed, see patterns that you hadn't known about like a thorough, successful detective who captures the right criminal in the end. If you find yourself with a list of arguments that you thought of before doing any research and you're trying to unsuccessfully force your research findings to fit your preconceived ideas, maybe you need to re-think your hypothesis and look at the evidence in front of you. The successful researchers/detectives will follow the research trail results and see where it leads them.