Searching Tips & TricksAn Introduction to Searching in the Library Databases. AIC Shea Library

Today:

▪ Keyword searching▪ Boolean terms: AND, OR, NOT▪ Truncation▪ Grouping

Databases are made of words…

Keyword Searching

▪ Databases are made up of words.▪ Databases search by keyword or key concepts. ▪ You must identify and select your keywords or

key concepts to enter into the search box. ▪ It’s different than a Google search. ▪ What are you keywords or key concepts? – Circle or underline them.

Sample topic:

▪ Substance abuse treatment for women in prisons.

▪ What are my keywords? – Underline the keywords in this topic.

▪ Substance abuse treatment for women in prisons.

▪ Since we will be searching for articles in a particular journal that specializes in corrections it’s redundant to have to search for “prisons”.

Other Searching Tips:

▪ Boolean Terms:– AND: Limits your search results to include both of

those words. Tells the database to bring back results that include both of those keywords.

– OR: Expands your search results to include either of those words. Best used with synonyms. Example: Cats OR kittens.

– NOT: Excludes the word from your search results. Example: Cats NOT Kittens.

▪ Example: – Substance abuse AND treatment AND women

Grouping

▪ Using “” quotation marks around a phrase tells the database to keep those words together when it conducts the search.

▪ Example: “substance abuse” will keep those two terms together in the search results and not separate them out into two separate terms.

Truncation

▪ Using an asterisk * on the shortened form of a word tells the database to bring back any variation of that word.

▪ Example: market* tells the database to bring back: – Marketing– Markets

Try it!

Your assignment:

Assignment Requirements:

▪ Minimum of 3 articles. (It’s okay to use more than 3)– from the ACA trade journal/magazine, Corrections Today along

with Prison Programs (pp. 182-186) and/or chapter 9, Special Populations, in your text.

– You should be finding more than 3 and then selecting 3 that you will use to provide, “full description of this problem or issue facing inmates and the institution,” and, “Discuss solutions by describing successful programs and their results.”

▪ 5 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman, APA formatted in-text citations and references page.

Try Searching!

▪ Go to MyAIC▪ Academics▪ Library▪ Research Guides▪ Criminal Justice