Electronic Database Searching
Jump to: Coverage of Database | Finding Help | Truncation | Boolean Operators | Proximity Connectors | Nesting | Drop-Down Menus | What Next? |
As more and more information becomes available electronically, researchers are expected to understand and to use efficiently a growing array of databases, each with their own interface. How can you quickly familiarize yourself with a new database? Ask yourself the following questions, read every screen carefully, and use online help and assistance from Librarians to help ensure a more effective, efficient search.
Is there any information on subjects and materials indexed and/or dates of coverage?
Knowing the contents a of database is invaluable to any researcher. If you need to find political science resources but are unwittingly searching a biology database, you've wasted a lot of time and energy. The same idea goes for chronological ranges and resource types. Be sure that the database you're searching covers your topic, fits any chronological limits you may have, and indexes the types of materials that you need. You can often find this information by looking for an "About {database name}" button or banner, or anything that hints at database information.
Every database comes with some sort of online help for the novice searcher. Read screens carefully for buttons, bars, or banners that offer some sort of link to this assistance. This information should help you to easily answer the rest of the questions listed here. Librarians are also an excellent resource; be sure to ask them any questions you may have!
Is truncation available? If so, what symbol do I use?
Truncation (sometimes called right-hand truncation) allows the searcher to look for variations of a word by typing in a word root and a truncation symbol. For example, searching EBSCOHost for psych* would return results containing the word psychology, psychic, or psychiatric. While most databases use an asterisk as the truncation symbol, some (like Lexis-Nexis) use an exclamation point. Others use a numbers sign. Some databases also allow for a special kind of truncation, called internal truncation. This allows the user to substitute a truncation symbol for any letter in a search term (i.e. wom?n).
What Boolean operators are available?
Boolean operators are used to link search terms, combining them in different ways. Three of the most-used operators are:
AND: all terms must be present dogs and cats
OR: at least one term must be present dogs or cats
NOT: first term present but not second dogs not cats
Sometimes variations of these operators are available. For example, some databases might use but not or and not instead of not. Look at the Boolean operators section of any online help to see if there are any variants offered that might help you perform a more efficient search.
Are proximity connectors available?
Proximity connectors are a little like Boolean operators in that they link search terms. Connectors, however, are used to dictate how close the two search terms must be to each other within a record. These connectors can limit the terms to appearing in the same sentence or paragraph, and are often used to limit how many words can be between two terms. Possible connectors vary widely from database to database, so it is very important to check online help for availability and format.
Does this database allow nesting?
Nesting uses parenthesis to indicate in which order Boolean operations should be performed. For example: (men or women) and television is an example of a nested search. Boolean operators within the parenthesis will be performed first. Most databases allow this very useful search function, but check the online help to be sure.
What options are available via drop-down menus?
More and more databases are offering options via drop-down menus. These options include allowing the user to select a Boolean operator, choose a database subset, or limit the appearance of a search term to a particular part of a record (field). Be sure to check all menu options to see if any of them will allow your search to be made easier and more efficient.
I'm still having some trouble. What next?
Check with Geisler Library Reference Librarians for assistance. There are also printed help sheets for each database available in the reference area. You may also want to look at the online version of these help sheets by going to the Classes section of the Geisler Library web page.
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Revised: October 29, 2004 te