LIR 10: Week 8

1
LIR 10 Week 8

• Advanced Searching Techniques and
  Subject-Specific Databases

2
Boolean Review

• AND narrows your search results to the
  intersection of your terms
• OR retrieves the largest amount of search
  results any and all terms included will be
  retrieved
• NOT narrows your search by excluding the search
  term specified
• Using Boolean operators affects the precision and
  recall of your search results.

3
Boolean Review

• Word order is not important in statements when
  using OR or AND
• Word order is very important when constructing a
  search statement using NOT

• For example
• theater NOT improvisational
• will retrieve articles containing the word
  theater that do not include the term
  improvisational.
• Improvisational NOT theater
• will retrieve articles containing the word
  improvisational that do not include the term
  theater.

4
Advanced Searching Techniques

• Parenthetical Grouping
• Adjacency or Proximity Operators

• Truncation
• Limit Options
• Phrase Searching

5
Advanced Boolean SearchingParenthetical Grouping

• Boolean operators may be combined to reflect
  complex search statements
• (teaching OR instruction) AND aviation
• This statement instructs the search engine to
  find every record that has the words aviation
  and either teaching or instruction in the
  database.
• Note that the separate parts of the search have
  been enclosed in parentheses, or grouped. This is
  done in order to keep the terms being controlled
  by the operator OR together in a set.
• It also forces the order of processing the
  search engine will first look for records that
  include the terms teaching or instruction. It
  will then look within that group and find records
  that also contain the word aviation.

6
Parenthetical Grouping, cont.

• A search statement may have more than one
  parenthetical grouping. The example below
  combines two search concepts French and theater,
  but takes into account many synonyms that might
  be found for each concept
• (French OR France) AND
• (theater OR drama OR performance)

7
Adjacency Operators

• Adjacency Operators
• Adjacency or Proximity operators can also be used
  to assist with constructing a search statement.
• These are not true Boolean Operators, but
  behave similarly. Adjacency operators dictate
  how search terms should be positioned. They are
• NEAR
• WITH (or WITHIN)
• ADJ

• The most frequently used of the adjacency
  operators is NEAR.
• For example, if looking for articles about
  technological obsolescence, a search statement
  using an adjacency operator might be
• technological NEAR obsolescence AND 8-track

8
Proximity or Adjacency Operators, cont.

• The WITHIN command will instruct the search
  engine to find articles where the first word
  appears some number of words before or after the
  second word.
• Some databases reduce adjacency commands to a
  shorthand code. For example, ProQuest shortens
  WITHIN to W
• computer W/3 careers
• will search for the term computer within
  three words of the term careers

9
Truncation

• Truncating a search term refers to the addition
  of a symbol at the end of a word so the search
  engine will look for all variations of the word.
• Truncation symbols vary by database. Most
  databases use either a question mark (?) or an
  asterisk () to denote truncation. For example
• famil? AND poverty
• will instruct the database to find articles
  with the term poverty AND either the words
  "family" or "families"
• Always check the Help section of the database
  youre searching to see which truncation symbol
  is used.

10
Truncation, cont.

• Use truncation when you want to find both the
  singular and plural forms of a word or
• words that begin with the same root
• will search technological OR technology near
  obsolescence OR obsolescent

technolog NEAR obsolescen AND 8-track
11
Truncation, cont.

• Be careful not to truncate word roots that have
  many variations.
• For example, in a search for information about
  cats
• cat
• will search for cat, cats, catastrophe,
  catechism, catamaran, catch, ad nauseum.
• In this case, it would be better to combine cat
  with cats using parenthetical grouping
• (cat OR cats OR feline) AND feral

12
Wildcards

• Wildcards let you substitute symbols for one or
  more letters when youre searching words that
  might be spelled different ways, have the same
  root, or if youre not sure of the spelling of a
  word.
• For example, ProQuest databases use a question
  mark for wildcard searches
• wom?n
• will search for woman OR women
• Always check the Help section of the database
  youre searching to learn how wildcards are used.
  Every database is different! ProQuest and
  Infotrac vary greatly in their use of wildcards
  and proximity commands.

13
Limit Options

• Limiting your search can help you increase the
  precision of your results
• Standard limit options include date range,
  documents with full text and scholarly (vs.
  popular) journals.
• Most limit options appear as radio buttons, boxes
  or drop down menus on the search (or advanced
  search) page.

14
Phrase searching

• Phrase searching instructs the search engine to
  find words together, in a precise order.
• Searching a group of words as a phrase is perhaps
  the most useful way to increase the precision of
  your results.
• Quotation marks are the most common way to
  designate a phrase. They are used in
  subscription databases and Internet search
  engines.
• For example
• enemy combatants
• restless legs syndrome
• sudden oak death
• weight loss AND (cortisol OR hydrocortisone)

15
Search Example Using ProQuest

• weight loss AND (cortisol OR hydrocortisone)
• Use ProQuest advance search
• Search for weight loss in article text AND
  (cortisol OR hydrocortisone) in article text
  AND?

16
Homework for Next Week

• Boolean Operators Assignment

17
Subject Specific Databases

• The SRJC libraries provide access to a wide range
  of subject specific databases
• Browse through the list at
• http//www.santarosa.edu/library/ftdb
• The same search will provide completely different
  results, depending on the database you choose.
• Every database will feature its own unique
  interface. Use the Help section to make sure
  youre searching effectively.

18
Yet More Homework for Next Week

• Online Periodicals Assignment 2

19
Exploring Specialized or Subject-Specific
Databases

• Open a browser (Netscape or Explorer)
• From the Librarys home page, select
• Magazine Articles and Other Databases
• Browse through the list of Database Subjects and
  select an appropriate choice for your topic.
• Begin searching! Dont forget to check where
  you are at the opening search screen and click
  on Help for useful search tips.