Writing 10E (Bultena)

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. "solar panel" OR "photovoltaic cell"
2. hydropower OR "hydroelectric energy"
3. "dry steam power station" OR "flash steam power station"
4. "wind energy" OR "wind power" OR "wind turbine"

Examples: Using AND

1. "geothermal energy" AND "storage"
2. "hydroelectric power" AND generation AND turbine

Examples using AND & OR

Sample Search A

"solar panel" OR "photovoltaic cell"

   AND

"power generation"

Question: What strategy might we take if Sample A returns too many results?  How could we modify this search?

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: " "

• "hydroelectric power station"
• "solar panel"
• "wind power"
• "biogas digester"

Phrase searching ensures that you won't be searching for the individuals words within the phrase, which could return a lot of irrelevant results. 

What advice does the narrator provide about selecting and using keywords in your searches?

* from Darrell W. Krueger Library, Winona State University (play until 2:50)

Here is a chart with keywords and potential synonyms based on a revised research question from the Using & Selecting Keywords video.