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Introduction to the Shapiro Library

Use this research guide to learn about the Shapiro Library's services, tools and how to get started using the library.

Research Help

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Quotation Marks for Phrase Searching

Using quotation marks for phrase searching will help to ensure that the results you get back in a search engine are accurate.

When you search for a phrase like corporate social responsibility the search engine will bring back any results that have those words in them. However, if you put quotation marks around the phrase, "corporate social responsibility", the search engine will only bring back results that have all those words in them exactly in the order you have them printed. This can also be useful when you're searching for the title of a book or other resource.

As with any search strategy, you may want to consider what quotation marks are most useful for and anything you should be cautious about when using this searching technique:

Most Useful For:

  • Finding highly relevant information on a topic--allows users to narrow down results based on exact phrasing of keywords or topic.
  • Searching for the title of a book or other resource, a person or place name, etc.

Cautions:

  • May miss relevant resources if the phrase searched for is not used in the article exactly as printed.
  • Some databases automatically apply phrase searching--view online search tips for individual databases before using phrase searching.

Check out the FAQ: How can I use quotation marks for phrase searching? for more information.