Your Search Strategy
Was your search effective? Here are some tips if you found too much information, too little information, or even the wrong information in your search.
Too Much Information
1. Try looking at a record for an irrelevant article that your search retrieved. Can you figure out why the database gave it to you? Did you use one word that the computer misunderstood? See if you can use a more specific term or maybe a short phrase that excludes the meaning you don't want. Try adding a new term which makes your old term more specific.
| Instead of | Japan and economy |
| Try | Japan and economy and (auto or automobile or car) |
2. Check where in the record your search terms matched. The best matches for topics are in fields like subject, title or abstract. Look for an Advanced Search option in the database to search in these specific fields. Did your words match subject headings? Consider using phrase searching, if appropriate.
3. Use limiters when they're available. Will the database let you ask for publications only in English? Can you ask for only journal articles? Do you need information from 2006? Is there a subject heading that covers your topic? Can you get rid of book and film reviews? Play around with your options and see if they help. Try using the operator NOT.
| (Iran and Iraq) not war |
| “florida panthers” and not hockey |
| Clinton not Bill |
| +hurricanes -miami |
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