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History / Jewish Studies 100W Fields

Professor Jill Fields

Search Terms

Before starting your research, think of different search terms you might want to use. 

For example, if you were researching the suffrage movement, you might also want to search:

  • voting rights
  • womens rights
  • nineteenth amendment

Phrase Searching

Want to search something as an exact phrase?  Simply add quotes.  

"voting rights"

Connecting Search Terms

Unlike most search engines, library databases allow you to search with precision.  By using the following connecting words, you can find the most relevant results.

AND

Connecting search terms with AND will return only results that have both of your search terms.  For example:

 women AND voting

OR

Connecting search terms with OR will return results that have either of your search terms.  For example:

 voting OR suffrage

 

Want to search variations of a single word?  Use an asterisk mark (*) at the spot where word variations begin.

For example:

vot*   finds

vote

votes

voting

Change your search strategy

Oftentimes, you will have to adjust your search strategy to find the best sources for your topic

Not finding enough sources?
  • Try using fewer keywords
  • Use different keywords
  • Search a different database
  • Search Link+ to find books from other libraries
  • Consider changing your topic

Too many sources?
  • Add more keywords
  • Use a date limit

 

Sources not relevant to your topic?
  • Use different keywords
  • Search a different database
  • Consider changing your topic

Questions?  Ask a librarian!