No Google Searches!

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

Search tips:

• Separate your keywords into different search boxes by topic by using the ADVANCED SEARCH boxes.
• Truncation to retrieve various endings of your search term. Truncation is great for pulling up both singular and plurals of your word.
  • Example:  teen* will search for teens, teen, teenager, teenagers, teenaged
  •                  satir* will retrieve satire, satirist, satirists, satirical and maybe satir (last name) 
  •                  hippie* will search for hippie, hippies
• Combine synonyms or related terms by putting them in the same search box and combining them with OR.   
  • Example: social change OR social aspects
  •                 public opinion OR belief* OR attitude*
• Phrase searches. You may put phrases in quotation marks to keep the words next to each other.
  • Example: “social criticism” or  "political satire"

 How can we improve on the ineffective search below?

• Separate the two main concepts (1. satirists 2. beliefs) into their own search boxes
• Add synonyms and related terms using OR
• Use the search tips above such as truncation

Get experimental! Try different search combinations. You can add another search box with United States or America* to try to narrow results to publications dealing with U.S. issues. The important thing is to be patient and try many keyword combinations. 

How many results do you retrieve with the search above?  
How many results do you retrieve with the search below?

Be careful how you use AND. In the search above, ALL the search terms must appear in the same result if you use AND.

With OR, either of the terms in the first box may appear in conjunction with any of the terms in the second box in each result.