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Searching a database can feel very overwhelming. You can use a strategy to refine your results to match more closely what you're looking for. I call this strategy: Zooming In
first, use a "Wide Angle Lens":
first, use a "Wide Angle Lens":
Watering Holes are essential for hippopotamus survival on the african safari
Watering Holes are essential for hippopotamus survival on the african safari
When starting a database search, you should always put phrases in quotation marks. For example, search "watering holes" or "survival in africa" in order to get results that include the entire phrase. Otherwise, you'll thousands of results on holes in general and water and Africa.
Zoom Lens:
Zoom Lens:
Watering holes are essential for Hippopotamus survival.
Watering holes are essential for Hippopotamus survival.
Searching a database with general keywords will generate lots of results; you'll see the hippos but also the elephants, zebras and antelope. We need to refine our search to be more specific. Using words like AND, OR or NOT will refine your search. Also, using specific keywords will help to zoom in even further.
For example, try "hippos" and "watering holes" and "survival"
Magical Macro Lens:
Magical Macro Lens:
symbiotic relationships at watering holes are essential for hippopotamus survival on the african safari.
symbiotic relationships at watering holes are essential for hippopotamus survival on the african safari.
Try searching "symbiotic" AND "watering holes" AND "hippopotamus"
Now we're talking. We've narrowed our topic down by adding keywords, putting phrases in quotation marks, connecting words (Boolean Search Terms). Now our results will be very specific. We can easily refine further by date, location, type of document, etc. etc.
Here's are a few quick videos that further explains using keyword searches to help refine results.
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