searching
So, I've got my word list, now how do I make sense out of it all?
Regardless of what search program you are using(e.g., Google Web search, NEOS library catalogue search, or psycINFO journal database search), you will have the option to conduct what is known as a keyword search. In a keyword search, you type a word, or combination of words, into a search box. Once you submit your search query, the search program then scours its resource base for all items in which your search query occurs, and returns these items to you in a list.
Typing a single word into the search box will almost always generate a ridiculously large number of results, many of which will be highly irrelevant to your particular topic and purpose. An effective and productive search uses a combination of keywords that are linked together with specific operators- symbols or terms that direct the search software to perform your search in a particular way.
The following operators are the most common ones used by most search programs:
• boolean operators
• proximity operators
• wildcards and truncation
• nesting
*** It is important to note that different search programs often use different symbols to represent specific operators. As such, you should always check the online help files associated with your search program to identify which symbols are used to denote which operators.
This section focuses on using the Google search engine and NEOS as search programs. Specific strategies for searching psychINFO and other library journal databases are presented in the next secion.
