Understanding Search Terms
Remember that searching in the databases is different than searching on Google. In Google you can search using a regular English sentence. "What is the connection between organic food and positive mental health?" But in library databases, you need to break down this sentence into individual concepts, and create search terms from the concepts. For example, we could search on the question about organic food and mental health with the search terms "Organic Food", "Mental Health" and "Study". The search terms "Study" means that we want to see any research on those connections.
It will also help your research to think about different ways that different authors might write about the same concept. Sometimes an author will use a synonym or similar word to discuss the same concept. A good way to help think through these search term options is to create a simple table like the one below.
SEARCH TERM TIPS:
- Remember to use synonyms (words with similar meaning)
- If you try a search and you get too many results, you need to make your search terms more specific. You can also add extra search terms. But make sure you do not exclude an important aspect of your subject!
- If you try a search and you get too few results, you need to broaden your search terms. Consider using words that are comprehensive or universal.
- Use the tools in the databases. For some library databases, when you start typing a search term, it will pull up a list that looks like a google "autocomplete" list. This list is telling you the kinds of search terms that are actually found in the database. Try using a suggested term from the list.
- Once you find one article that you think is good or at least close to your topic, don't forget to check the Detailed Record for that article. You should try the keywords and subject terms as search terms.