How to formulate a search

1. Creating a search strategy
2. Boolean seaching
3. Stemming/truncation
4. Alternative spellings
5. Saving search results
   
   

1. Creating a search strategy

When you sit down to carry out your search, whether it is on a resource like Google or a library catalogue or journal database, try to have some kind of search strategy worked out before you start so that you are not just randomly typing in general keywords.

• Read the user instructions for your the resource you are using - search instructions vary from resource to resource. Look at the advance search page in case it helps you to narrow down your search preferences

 

• Don't type in a general word like Africa and expect to get useful results back first time

The Resource Guide for Social Sciences from the University of Bristol, UK, looks at how to devise search strategies in more detail

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2. Boolean searching

Many (but not all) library catalogues and databases use something called Boolean Operators (also called Boolean Logic) as a way of structuring searches so that you can combine terms to include or exclude keywords.

These are the operators:

• AND - use this to include the search terms you really want, such as children AND Ethiopia
  
• OR - use this to look for items on either children OR animals
  
• NOT - use this to exclude terms that you don't want - health NOT children
  
• you can also combine these operators to create more complicated searches by using brackets: Children AND (Ethiopia OR Kenya) this will look for items about children in either of those countries. Use this with care.
  
  

How will you know if the database you are looking at uses Boolean Operators?

Look at the help pages or user instructions. They will tell you how to carry out combined searches. With some search pages you have to type in the operators yourself.

But some search pages or advanced search pages may be set out in series of boxes that you can enter your terms into so that you don't have to type in all the operators yourself. 


More information on Boolean searching:

• Boolean Searching guide from UC Berkeley - Teaching Library Internet Workshops
  
• Boolean logic guide from University Libraries, University at Albany, SUNY
  
  

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3. Stemming, truncation and wildcards

Some databases and catalogues automatically search for slight variations on the term you are searching for. But others may not do this automatically, so look at the search instructions.

You may be asked to put a symbol at the end of a word stem in order to search for all the variants on the word stem. The most commonly used symbol is the asterisk (*).

So therefore, child* will also look for children and childhood, etc.

For instance:

• Google now offers stemmed searches - so if you type in boat it will also look for boats and boating, etc.
  
• Similarly, Eldis will look for the variations on a search term when you type in the stemmed (shortest) version of ther word) child - will also look for children and childhood, etc.
  
• The British Library for Development Studies asks you to put an asterisk (*) at the end of the stem of the words you want to search, therefore child* will also look for children and childhood, etc.
  
  

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4. Alternative Spellings

Consider whether the items you are looking for may use US or UK style spellings - are you looking for an organisation or an organization or a programme or program?

Take into account where the website you are searching is based, or what common language it might use.

Sometimes It may be wise to search for both spelling versions if or use a truncation or stemming feature to allow for both versions, such as:

• child AND health program*
  

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5. Saving search results

When you have located some results, you may wish to save them for later use.

Don't assume you will be able to remember something you came across whilst searching, especially if you go off at tangents, so keep notes about interesting items you come across:

• In the Internet Explorer browser you can store websites pages you want to refer back to by using the Favorites feature
  
• Some databases may allow you to capture your list of search results and email it to yourself or to friend (also see the "send to a friend" feature on the right hand side of this document record on Eldis)
  
• you could cut and paste a website address etc., into your own document for future reference, using your prefered format (Word, OneNote, etc.)
  

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