Advanced Search Tips
Advanced search gives you many extra options for specifying exactly what you want. Look for the words "Advanced Search" or "Power Search" near the basic search box on the main page of a database.]
Exact phrase search:
Usually accomplished by putting quotation marks around your search terms; sometimes with a drop down option next to the search box
For example, if you are looking for information on sustainable farming, and you simply put those words into the search box, you would get any article that uses the word sustainable and the word farming - which may or may not actually be related to your topic. To get articles that specifically reference sustainable farming, put those words in the search box as "sustainable farming", like this:
Advanced search gives you many extra options for specifying exactly what you want. Look for the words "Advanced Search" or "Power Search" near the basic search box on the main page of a database.]
Exact phrase search:
Usually accomplished by putting quotation marks around your search terms; sometimes with a drop down option next to the search box
For example, if you are looking for information on sustainable farming, and you simply put those words into the search box, you would get any article that uses the word sustainable and the word farming - which may or may not actually be related to your topic. To get articles that specifically reference sustainable farming, put those words in the search box as "sustainable farming", like this:
Boolean Operators:
These let you combine searches. This is especially useful when you are getting a lot of irrelevant results, or if part of your search is a phrase. Depending on the database, you may have drop downs to let you select And, Or, or Not:
If you don't see the drop down boxes, you may still be able to use boolean operators, simply by typing the commands directly into the search box. The same search as above can also be executed as: