Skip to Main Content
It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

Writing 101 (Block): Search Strategies 1-3

1) AND/OR (Boolean Logic)

Use AND / OR to join search terminology.

  • OR - joins similar terms / terms that get at the same issue BROADENS
  • AND - joins dissimilar terms NARROWS

Examples: Using OR

  1. "confirmation bias" OR "attitude polarization"
  2. positive psychotherapy OR PPT
  3. teens OR adolescents OR "young adults"
  4. "academic performance" OR "academic success" OR "academic achievement"

Example: Using AND

  1. leaders AND "social skills"
  2. perception AND performance

Examples using AND & OR

Sample Search 

"filter bubbles" OR "algorithmic editing"

   AND

politic*

Question: What strategy might we take if Sample A doesn't return enough results?  How could we modify this search?

 

2) Phrase Searching " "

It is common to search for a specific phrase with "quotation marks ".  Most databases will recognize the using of quotation marks to search for two works together.

Examples: " "

  • "post traumatic stress disorder"
  • "limbic system"
  • "social anxiety"
  • "early intervention"
  • "domestic abuse"

Phrase Searching Narrows

  • social anxiety (52553 results in PsycInfo)
  • "social anxiety" (7013 results in PsycInfo)

 

3) Truncation *

Search for alternate forms of a work by truncating it and adding an asterisk *.

Examples: *

  1. trauma* > trauma, traumas, traumatic
  2. obes* > obese, obesity
  3. perform* > perform, performs, performing, performance
  4. therap* > therapy, therapies, therapeutic
     

Truncation BROADENS

  • "politic" (116 results in PsycInfo)
  • "politic*"(23,722 results in PsycInfo)