How do I refine a database search?

Question

Try a database on your topic. . Broaden your topic. . Change your search terms. . Use fewer search terms. . Use fewer limiters. . Check your spelling. . Use OR with synonyms. Use wildcard (usually a question mark) or truncation (an asterisk) to include additional variations of your search terms.

Is it possible to refine search results?

Most databases allow for users to refine search results by a variety of criteria, to reduce the number of results that display. Broad keywords, such as climate change, yield a large number of results, so limiting the results to scholarly sources from the past five years in full text may make the list more manageable.

What are three types of search methods to refine searching?

Boolean SearchingWhat is Boolean Searching? Most searches will return too many or too few records. ... Narrowing Searches. If your search returns too many records, you can narrow your search by adding more search terms. ... Broadening Searches. ... Proximity, Truncation and Wild Cards.

How do I narrow down a database search?

There are a variety of ways to narrow down your search results in a library database. The two most direct ways are to focus your search with more specific keywords and/or to limit by various criteria before or after searching. The more specific you are with your search terms, the more relevant your results will be.

What is refining your search?

You can use symbols or words in your search to make your search results more precise. Google Search usually ignores punctuation that isn't part of a search operator. Don't put spaces between the symbol or word and your search term.

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