Search Tips

Use quotation marks around any important phrases that you want the database to find exactly. For example, search for the phrase atomic bomb as: "atomic bomb" so that the search engine will look for the two words next to each other in that exact order, rather than the two individual words separately in the article. This is also great for the names of historical figures.

Use an asterisk (*) as a wildcard. The asterisk tells the search engine to find any variation of the word that starts with the same root. For example, if one of your keywords is biology, search for it like this: biolog*. The search engine will look for the words biology, biologic, biological, etc.

If you were researching the dropping of the atomic bombs, here are some examples of what a good search strategy would look like:

"atomic bomb" AND "World War II" AND impact
"atomic bomb" AND impact AND environment*
"atomic bomb" AND ("environmental impact" OR contamination)

Any of these search strategies would be good to try in a library database. Be prepared to adjust your search as needed. No results? Try a broader search, perhaps one with less keywords. Too many results? Narrow your search by adding another keyword.