Skip to Main Content

ENGL 06A Epstein-Corbin: Search Strategies Review

Major English Writers to the Late 18th Century

Identify Keywords

The databases simply match the words you enter in the search box. 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 nouns when searching.

Examples

  • morals = morality, ethics, "ethical behavior," etc.
  • "fall of man" = "sin of Adam," "fall from grace," etc.

Connect Keywords with AND, OR, NOT

Using AND, OR, and NOT with keywords can help broaden or narrow your search.

AND OR NOT

joins dissimilar terms; helps narrow your search

Example

gender AND "Paradise Lost"

joins similar terms; helps broaden your search

Example

ethics OR morality

excludes terms; helps narrow your search

Example

"John Milton" NOT biography

Find Phrases with Quotation Marks

  • “Paradise Lost”
  • “original sin”
  • "John Milton"

Use Truncation to Find Word Variations

The asterisk * is the most common truncation symbol.

  • character* = character, characters, characterization, etc.
  • sex* = sex, sexes, sexual, sexuality, etc.

How Library Stuff Works: How to Choose Keywords

How Library Stuff Works: Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT)