Searching 101 > 3: Construct Your Search

To get good results from a keyword search, construct a search statement:

• Select operators to connect your search words.
• Identify any search terms that are phrases.
• Decide whether to include word variants.
• Organize complex search statements using parentheses.

3A: Select Operators to Connect Search Words

Use special connectors called operators to connect your keyword search terms. Sometimes you will type these operators along with your search words into a search box. Sometimes you will select an option for connecting your search words from a pull-down list. Types of search operators: Boolean operators (words) AND, OR, NOT Mathematical operators (symbols) plus symbol (+), minus symbol (-). Use either words or symbols as operators in your search statement. Don't mix them together in the same statement. The chart on this page shows how these basic operators work.

Use Plus (+) or AND To require that all of the search words be found in results Example: addiction AND treatment Example: +addiction   +treatment Use OR To find any of your search words in results (most often used when searching for synonyms). Example: cocaine OR crack Use Minus (-) or NOT To eliminate words from search results. Example: drugs NOT prescription Example: +drugs   -prescription

- - - Spacing Counts When Using Mathematical Operators

• DON'T leave a space between the math symbol and your search word.
• DO leave a space between each element (symbol plus search term).

Study the examples in the chart on this page to understand proper spacing.

3B: Identify Phrases

Identify any group of two or more words that should be considered a phrase. Depending on the database, you may be required to use:

1. Quotation marks to enclose an exact phrase.

2. Boolean operator such as NEAR or ADJ to indicate proximity of terms. (NOTE: These Boolean operators are not supported by all databases.)

- - - More Restrictive Than AND Phrase or proximity searching is more restrictive than using the AND operator and will produce smaller, more precise results. Example: Search for: hot AND dog will find both pages 1 and 2 in the illustration. Search for: "hot dog" (exact phrase) or hot ADJ dog (proximity operator) will find only page 2.

- - - Summary

The table below summarizes the effect that various operators will have on your search results, from least restrictive (producing the biggest set of results) to most restrictive (producing the smallest set of results).

To find recipes for peanut butter cookies, for example, the most efficient search statement is:

Using Boolean operators: "peanut butter cookies" AND recipes

Using mathematical operators: +"peanut butter cookies"  +recipes

3C: Include Variant Forms of Search Words

Databases execute searches quite literally. If you search for the singular form of a word (such as cat), the plural form (cats) will not be found. Many databases have a wildcard feature that will find variant forms of search words.

You must include some symbol, such as the question mark (?) or the asterisk (*) at the end of word roots to find plural and related forms. Check database HELP pages to find out which symbol is used.

Example:

• Search for: substance? NEAR abuse?
• Will find: substance abuse, substance abuser, abuse of controlled substances

Some databases have a stemming feature that solves the problem of variant word forms. They will automatically search for cat if you enter the keyword cats and vice versa.

3D: Use Parentheses to Group Search Words

It is also possible to create more complex search statements by using parentheses to group search words that should be treated in the same way. This is sometimes called nesting and is a handy way to incorporate synonyms or related terms into your search.

As the illustration below shows, you may link synonyms or related terms for each of your search concepts into a cluster using the OR operator. Enclose a cluster within parentheses. You can then combine clusters using the boolean operator AND.

At least some of the words from each of the concept clusters should be represented in the results for this search.

3E: SAW - Recommended Strategy for Keyword Searching

Remember this keyword search strategy by thinking of the letters SAW:

1. S - Stage your search. First, search for the most important concepts or the most unique words (those least likely to occur in search results). Then look over your results and decide whether you need to change anything. Don't begin with search statements that are complex and elaborate. Rather, build from a simple beginning.

2. A - Avoid long phrases. Longer phrases are less likely to be found. For example, search for "substance abuse" AND treatment, not "substance abuse treatment programs."

3. W - Watch results for new or alternate terms. Incorporate them into your next search. For example, use "chemical dependency" as well as "substance abuse." Connect these search terms with the OR operator to expand your results.

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