Super Advanced Search Techniques

•Wildcards•Truncation•Proximity

Erin L. Nagel, Clayton State University Library

Wildcard searching

Not as scary as it soundsUse for search terms with unknown

characters and alternate spellings

Wildcard symbols

? = Match exactly one letter

# = Match zero or one letter

* = Match multiple letters

Match only one letter per ? Plurals

wom?n woman, women International spelling

defen?e defense, defence Use one ? for each character

psych????y psychology, psychiatry, NOT psychotherapy

Unsure of spelling Devi?nce devience, deviance

Wildcard examples

Wildcard examples

Match zero or one letter International spellings

colo#r color, colour, NOT colors or colours Plural

color# color, colors, NOT colour or colours Unsure of spelling

enviro#ment enviroment, environment Combine wildcards

colo # r# color, colors, colour, colours

Wildcard examples

Match multiple letters International spellings

orthop*dic orthopedic, orthopaedic Related concepts

psych*y psychology, psychiatry, psychotherapy, psychopathy

Replace entire word “A Midsummer * dream” A midsummer night’s dream

Truncation searching

Not as fun as vacation searchingUse to search for various endings to

root wordsUse asterisk symbol

Truncation examples

International spellings theat* theater, theatre, ALSO theatrical

Various endings comput* computer, computing, computation psycho* psychology, psychopathic, psychopathology,

psychotherapy Use as many common letters as possible

colon* colonoscopy, colonization, colon, colony coloni* colonization, colonies, colonialism

Proximity searching

Find results that contain two or more search terms within a specified number of words of each other

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZhEcRrMA-M

Proximity search operators

Near (N) = ignores word order Within (W) = maintains word order Use with a letter to specify the maximum number

of words to appear between your search terms N8 W5

Place operator between your search terms psychotherapy N5 benefit arts W4 school

NEAR (ignores word order)

(psychotherapy N5 benefit) vs. (psychotherapy AND benefit) psychotherapy AND benefit= 25,533 results psychotherapy N5 benefit = 2,444 results

Benefits and challenges in practice-oriented psychotherapy research in Germany

Does Psychotherapy Benefit Pre and Post-operative Anxiety in Eye Diseases?

Association of psychotherapy with disability benefit claim closure among patients disabled due to depression.

WITHIN (maintains word order)

(tax W4 reform) vs. (tax AND reform ) tax AND reform= 175,210 results tax W4 reform = 82,626 results

Pathways to Tax Reform RevisitedTax Law and Healthcare ReformNOT = Identifying Key American Taxpayer Relief Act

and Health Care Reform Changes in Year-End Tax Planning.

NOT = ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS FOR THE REFORM OF INTERNATIONAL TAX.

Combine tools to maximize your search

Boolean + proximity healthcare W8 (legislation OR reform OR law)

Truncation + Boolean olympi* AND athlet*

Wildcard + truncation + Boolean wom?n AND (equal* OR rights) AND (work* OR

employ*) Wildcard + proximity + truncation

orthop*dic N6 rehabilit*

A word of caution

These operators will work in Galileo discover searching (from library home page or Galileo home page)

Different databases use different operators Always use “Help” menu when searching in a

different database

Need more help?

Get help from a CSU Librarian In-person By phone- (678) 466-4346 Online chat Text message- (678) 845-8398 Email http://clayton.edu/library/Ask-a-librarian

Erin L. Nagel, Clayton State University Library