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University of Iowa

University Libraries

HillCrest at UIOWA

Guide for non-UI students to virtually engage with the UI Libraries, learn searching techniques and how to evaluate information.

Database Tips & Tricks

“” Use quotation marks to search for exact phrases. This helps when searching for a particular term or theory, such as "rhetorical analysis" or "critical theory".

Example: “adolescent literacy” AND teenagers

Asterisk * 

Using the asterisk sign also known as truncation, is very useful when there is one more ending for a word. 

Use the asterisk after the root of a word. This searches the database simultaneously for all the variations of word.

Example: Teen*

Using the asterisk after teen will find articles that mention the words teen, teens, teenager or teenage.

 

Search Tips

Here are some basic searching tips to use when searching a library database.

1. Keywords, Broader terms, Narrower terms

Use a variety of keywords to describe your topic. If you begin your research by using reference materials such as encyclopedias, you will often run across vocabulary to describe your topic that you may not have thought of on your own.

  • global warming OR climate change
  • alternative fuel OR ethanol OR hydrogen OR carbon dioxide OR emissions
You should remove all "stop words" from your search. Stop words include articles, prepositions, or essentially any word that is not a crucial, meaningful word. Examples: a, an, the, in, on, of, are, be, into, which, about, that, etc.
 
2. Use quotation marks for phrase searching
  • "war on drugs"
  • "interpersonal relationship*"
  • "climate change"
3. Use truncation to get the database to search for a root word plus any possible endings
  • flood* → flood, floods, flooded, flooding
  • econom* → economy, economic, economical
  • psycholog* → psychology, psychological, psychologist
4. Use AND, OR, and NOT to combine your search terms
  • (television OR TV) AND (women OR female)
  • "war on drugs" AND Mexic* AND (United States OR America*)
  • dolphins NOT football