Nesting, Phrase Searching, Truncation & Wildcards

Nesting

Example: (climate change OR global warming) AND policy

• Use parentheses to control search order. Databases follow order of operations (like math), and the terms inside parentheses are processed first.
  
  

• Combine AND, OR, and NOT thoughtfully.

  • AND narrows results (both terms must be present).

  • OR broadens results (either term is acceptable).

  • NOT excludes terms (removes unwanted results).

• Check the database rules. Some databases require specific formatting for nesting. Always review the help section for guidelines on using AND, OR, and NOT.

Phrase Searching

Example: "civil rights movement"

• Some databases automatically search words together as a phrase, while others require all terms to be present but not necessarily together.

• Most databases recognize quotation marks (" ") for phrase searching, but some use other methods. Check the database's help section for details.

• Be mindful when using phrase searching. For example, searching "river pollution" may miss articles that use polluted rivers instead.

Truncation (Expanding Your Search)

Example: educat* finds educate, education, educator

• Truncation helps find different word endings by using a symbol at the end of a root word.

• Truncation symbols vary by database. Common ones include: *, !, ?, #. Check the database's help section to confirm which to use.
  
  

Wildcard Searching (Handling Spelling Variations)

Example: wom?n finds woman and women

• Wildcards replace a letter or characters within a word to account for different spellings.

• Wildcard symbols vary by database and may include: *, !, ?, #. Check the database's help section for specifics.