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:

How can we improve on the search below?

Click on Advanced Search to be able to combine multiple terms and limit by field. 

Don't be afraid to try simple searches such as:

bioethics

AND

vaccine trials 

These types of searches are a good starting point, so you can view the results and locate more search terms in the SUBJECTS, ABSTRACTS, and TITLE fields.

1. Separate your keywords into different search boxes by topic using the ADVANCED SEARCH boxes. You have two or three concepts above:

• Bioethics
• Vaccine trials

OR 

• Bioethics
• Vaccinations
• Clinical trials 

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

(vaccine trials) AND (Bioethics or morality or ethical aspects)

(bioethics or morality or ethical aspects) AND (vaccines or vaccinations or immunizations) AND (clinical trials or human experimentation)

There is no one right way to construct searches. You will probably have to try many different search combinations to cover all the aspects of your topics and to find relevant results.

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

(bioethic* or morality or ethic*) AND (vaccin* or immunization*) AND (clinical trial* or human experiment*)

Truncation Examples:

bioethic* will retrieve bioethics, bioethical

vaccin* will retrieve vaccine, vaccines, vaccination, vaccinations, vaccinate, vaccinating, vaccinated, vaccinization

trial* will retrieve trials, trial

4. Phrase searches.

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

Example:

• "human experiment*"
• "vaccine trial*"
• "clinical trial*"

(bioethic* or morality or ethic* or "research ethic*") AND (vaccin* or immunization*) AND ("clinical trial*" or "human experiment*")