Lesson 3: Using Search Techniques
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The document discusses search techniques for finding information, including Boolean operators, truncation, and developing effective search strings. It provides examples of how to use AND to narrow searches by requiring both terms, OR to broaden searches by including either term, and truncation symbols like $ to account for word variations. The document also demonstrates how to combine these strategies to search for sources on encouraging young people to vote while accounting for multiple concept terms.
Lesson 3: Using Search Techniques
- 1. CPRG 105: Lesson 3 Using Search Techniques Boolean Operators Truncation
- 2. What encourages young people in America to vote? Copying and pasting this sentence into an online catalog or database search box will NOT yield you (m)any results!!!
- 5. • 2 Newspaper articles • 1 Magazine article • 1 Scholarly journal article 3 of which were irrelevant!
- 6. What encourages young people in America to vote?
- 9. HOW do you combine your different search terms to find the results you are looking for? Use Boolean operators and truncation with your search terms to help you create effective search strings
- 10. Connecting terms that broaden or narrow a search AND narrows your search OR broadens your search
- 11. Use AND to connect two different key concepts FOR EXAMPLE: Voting AND Youth
- 12. Use OR to connect similar or alternate terms that convey one of your concepts FOR EXAMPLE: Youth OR Young People OR Young Adults
- 13. RESEARCH QUESTION: What encourages young people to vote? My two key concepts are: YOUNG PEOPLE and VOTE Say, I want to look in DuCat for books that address BOTH of those concepts. How can I do this?
- 15. Voting Youth
- 16. I get 510 titles. I get 4,474 titles.
- 17. I get 6 titles.
- 18. NARROWS my search Gets me FEWER results Gets me sources that contain info on BOTH of the different key concepts
- 19. Voting AND youth BUT… I want to take into account the fact that there are alternate terms for youth ◦ Young adults ◦ Young people
- 20. I already know I will get 4, 474 titles I get 330 titles
- 21. I get 4,727 titles.
- 22. BROADENS my search Gets me MORE results Gets me sources that contain EITHER of the similar concepts
- 23. VOTING AND (YOUTH OR YOUNG PEOPLE OR YOUNG ADULTS) NESTED SEARCH: Combining OR and AND searches
- 24. I get 8 titles.
- 25. AND OR NARROWS your search Gives you FEWER You want sources that are about BOTH Topic 1 AND Topic 2 BROADENS your search Gives you MORE You want sources that are about EITHER Topic 1 OR Topic 2
- 27. Way to search for variations on a search term using the base DuCat uses $ Databases use * College$ ◦ college ◦ colleges Universit$ ◦ university ◦ universities Vot$ ◦ vote ◦ votes ◦ voted ◦ voting votive
- 28. Vot$ AND (youth OR young people OR young adults) How many titles do you get?
- 29. Which gives you MOST? a. cars b. cars AND automobiles c. cars OR automobiles
- 30. Which gives you MOST? a. cars b. cars AND automobiles c. cars OR automobiles
- 31. Which gives you FEWEST? a. cars b. cars AND automobiles c. cars OR automobiles
- 32. Which gives you FEWEST? a. cars b. cars AND automobiles c. cars OR automobiles
- 33. Which gives you MORE? a. automobiles b. automobil*
- 34. Which gives you MORE? a. automobiles b. automobil*