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Research Skills: Search Strings

Research skills and tips - From undergrads just starting out through to post graduate research. Covers things like keywords, search strings, and citation trails.

Search Strings

Research tools, like Library Search, individual databases, and Google Scholar give you the most relevant information when you convert your research question in to a search string.

This is done by determining the relevant keywords, synonyms, and phrases, and using truncation, and Boolean operators, if they apply, to bring your search strategies together into a search string.

 

The process of writing a search string:

TIP:

You can use Library Search "Advanced Search" or individual database's "Advanced Search" options to enter search strings. They have the Boolean operator prompts AND, OR, NOT in the boxes of the Advanced Search. 

Although creating your own search strings can be fun!