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ENGL 1200: Writing II (Keyser)

Search Tip #1: And or OR

Combine your search terms with AND or OR:

These are called Boolean Operators or search commands for describing what you want to find in a database.

Boolean Operator Effect on Search Results Explanation of Operator Example Search With Operator
AND NARROWS RESULTS results must include both words e.g. rubrics AND evaluation
OR BROADENS RESULTS results can include either word e.g. assessment OR evaluation

Search Tip #2: Using Quotation Marks (" ") and Asterisk (*)

Using Quotation Marks and Asterisk

The approach you take when entering your search terms in a library database will affect the results you get.  Before building a search, think about how you want to combine your search terms.

Quotation Marks: if you want a group of words to appear exactly as written, place the words in quotation marks.  You might use quotation marks so those terms appear as a phrase and not isolated from one another.  Example: "educational reform"

Asterisk: Using an asterisk (*) at the end of a word will bring back variations of the word.

Example: educat* will retrieve results with the words educate, educator, education, etc.  

Warning: Be careful to not place the asterisk to early in the word because it may retrieve irrelevant results.

Example: ed** will retrieve educate, educator, and education, but it will also retrieve results with words like edge, edamame, edacity  etc. which are not likely on point.