Improve My
Search Skills

Pick an interesting topic

Identify relevant databases

Select and connect appropriate keywords

Use Advanced Search limiters

Save useful results

You can get ideas from:

• News or current events

• Real-life experiences

• Work or volunteer experience

• Course readings

• Books (fiction or nonfiction)

Choose a topic that interests you or you'd like to learn more about.  This will make the research project much more enjoyable.

Google and Google Scholar

• Free to use

• Use natural language (full-length questions)

• Helpful to gain an understanding of a topic

• Crucial to determine if sources are credible

Library databases

• Subscriptions paid for by the Library

• Use precise language (limited keywords)

• Can limit by subject or discipline

• Can limit to full text and peer reviewed materials

What are keywords?

Keywords (or search terms) are the words you enter into a search box to produce results; they include the main concepts of your topic.

You will likely need to run multiple searches until you find the right combination of keywords that generates the results you need.

Tip: Make a list of your keywords, along with synonyms and abbreviations, so that you can easily connect them.

View this short video to learn more.

Infographic provided by McMaster University Library.

Most databases and search engines provide an Advanced Search option.  This lets you limit your results based on the indicators you select.

Only use the limiters that are most important to your search.  Using too many can lead to very few - or even zero - results.

You may have to refine your search until you find the right combination.  This option is usually available on the left-hand side of the search results page.

How to save an article:

• Email it to yourself

• Save it in Drive

• Download and bookmark the PDF

• Copy the permalink or stable URL

• Create a personal account and save it in the database

These options usually appear on the search results page, but keep in mind that they vary by database.  See more examples in this guide.

Keywords are searched as a phrase.  Results will include articles that group two or more words together in the exact order you enter.

Allows you to search for a word that may have multiple endings or spellings.  Enter the root of the word - up to the point where the spelling could change - and add a symbol at the end.

Common symbols include: * ! ? # ~

Allows you to include different spellings of a word.   This is useful if a word is spelled in different ways but has the same meaning.

Common symbols include: ? # *

Allows you to create more complex search strings.  This is useful when using the operator OR in between similar concepts.

Allows you to specify that your search terms  appear next to one another, within a certain number of words.

Common proximity operators include:
NEAR, WITHIN, (N), (W), or a tilde (~)

The operator is followed by a number to specify the number of words allowed between search terms.