ENGL 05 Rocha: Reviewing Search Strategies

If you didn't learn about keywords and operators in ENGL 01A, or it's been a while, take the Merced College Library's "Using Basic Search Strategies" tutorial. 

In this 20-minute tutorial, you will learn strategies that will help you search in library databases, including how to:

• identify keywords
• use quotation marks
• use words that expand or limit your searches.

You can take the tutorial as often as you'd like, and you can also download a PDF certificate of completion with your name, score, and timestamp. 

Not all authors use the same language to describe similar topics, so you will need to try a variety of searches.

• Create a list of possible words that could appear in a book or article related to your topic.
• Come up with synonyms or related terms.
• Stick to using 2-4 concepts at a time.

• AND: joins dissimilar terms to help narrow your search
  • "point of view" AND guilt
• OR: joins similar terms (synonyms) to help broaden your search
  • Example: narrator OR "point of view" 
• You can also use AND and OR together
  • Example: (narrator OR "point of view") AND guilt

• “point of view”
• “The Tell-Tale Heart”
• "nature of evil"

"How Library Stuff Works: How to Choose Keywords'" by McMaster Libraries (2:42) is licensed under CC-BY.

"Online Research: Tips for Effective Search Strategies" (3:04) by Sarah Clark is licensed under CC BY.