Search Engine Strategies:
An advanced search, or complete search strategy, involves using a combination of techniques like Boolean operators ("AND", "OR", "NOT"), phrase searching (quotation marks), truncation (*), wildcards (?), field searching (specifying where to search within a record), and limiters (date, publication type) to refine your search results and find highly relevant information within a database or search engine.
Key components of an advanced search strategy:
- Identifying keywords: Brainstorming and selecting the most relevant terms related to your topic.
- Boolean operators:
- AND: To find results containing all specified keywords.
- OR: To find results containing at least one of the specified keywords.
- NOT: To exclude results containing a specific keyword.
- Phrase searching: Using quotation marks to search for exact phrases.
- Truncation: Adding an asterisk () to the end of a word to retrieve variations of that word (e.g., "child" would find "childhood", "children", "childcare").
- Wildcards: Using a symbol like a question mark (?) to replace a single character within a word (e.g., "color?" would find "color" and "colour").
- Field searching: Specifying where in a record to search for a term, like searching only within the title or abstract field.
- Limiters: Applying filters like publication date, author, document type, or language to narrow down results.
Example advanced search query:
- "Clinical Medicine" AND ( "experimental medicine" OR "medical research") - This would find articles in the clinical medicine field and experimental or research-based medicine articles.
Important considerations:
- Understanding the database: Each database might have unique search features and syntax; users are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the platform's specific capabilities.
- Iterative process: Start with a broad search and refine it by adding more specific terms and limiters as needed.
- Synonym usage: Consider using synonyms and related terms with the "OR" operator to capture a wider range of relevant results.