The words you type into the search box affect your search results. Not all authors use the same language to describe similar topics, so you will need to try a variety of searches.
Example
How are LGBTQ+ families represented in children's books? | |
Keywords | Alternatives |
LGBTQ+ | gay, lesbian, LGBT, queer |
children's books | children's literature, picture books |
I might also want to use the word representation when conducting searches on this topic.
Video
Learn how to choose keywords (McMaster Libraries, 2:42).
There are a number of ways you can combine your keywords. You can also search for phrases by enclosing them in quotation marks. Expand your search by looking for different forms of words using truncation.
Boolean Operators |
Join together search terms in a logical manner. AND narrows searches and is used to join dissimilar terms. |
"children's books" AND representation "children's books" OR "children's literature" ("children's books" OR "children's literature") AND representation AND (LGBT OR queer) |
Phrase Searching |
To search for specific phrases, enclose them in quotation marks. The database will search for those words together in that order. |
"people of color" "social media" "Arab Spring" |
Truncation |
Truncate a word in order to search for different forms of the same word. Many databases use the asterisk * as the truncation symbol. |
wom*n = women, woman, womxn, etc. Latin* = Latin, Latinidad, Latina, Latinas, Latino, Latinos, Latinx, etc. film* = film, films, filming, filmmaker, filmmakers, filmmaking, etc. |
Video
Learn how to use Boolean operators, phrase searching, and truncation when searching in library databases (Sarah Clark, 3:04).
Think of subject terms and headings as hashtags that can point you to more sources with the same tags. Rather than searching by specific words, you can browse by pre-established categories.
When you find a useful book in UC Library Search, look at the record's Library of Congress Subject Headings, which are hyperlinked in blue. Click on one to discover other similarly tagged items or use the headings to give you ideas for terms you can try in a keyword search.
Example
Here are the subject headings for the book Pushout: The Criminalzation of Black Girls in Schools.
Most databases also have tools to help you discover subject terms.
Examples
Sometimes, rather than searching for information on a topic, you might be interested in looking for a specific article. There are a few ways you can find items based on a citation.
Article Level Strategies | Journal Level Strategies |
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Look for the journal title in the Journal finder. Search for the journal title in the Journals tab on the library home page search box. See if the journal is available. Is the date you need available? If so, drill down to the correct volume and issue number. |