Take a look at one of the results that you would consider irrelevant. Can you figure out why the search program gave it to you? Identify the terms or concepts that you feel are inappropriate, and try using the NOT operator to the eliminate resources in which those terms appear.

Remember, when you complete a keyword search, the program you are using will scour its resource base for all instances in which that keyword occurs. Combine your search terms using the Boolean operator AND, or apply some advanced search limits to find more precise information. Alternatively, if you used truncation in your search query, make sure that your truncations are not too extreme. If they are, chances are that you are also retrieving a great deal of information that is not at all relevant to your topic, as there are many words that start the same way. If appropriate, you can also use the specific search terms and descriptors that are used by the database or library catalogue.

Try to come up with some broader search terms, or use a thesaurus to identify alternate terms that encapsulate your main idea. Use the Boolean operator OR to combine these terms and expand your results.If you applied limits to your search, review them. Are they too limiting? Are there maybe a couple that you could probably do without? You should also try to use wildcards and truncation when relevant- this will retrieve additional results that include alternate spellings, and derivatives of your original search terms. Another thing to look at is whether you spelled your search terms correctly. Remember, not all search programs have a spell-checker programmed in to them, so the only resources you may be retrieving are those that also misspell your search terms.

If you are using a database, are you using one that covers a discipline or subject area appropriate to your topic? If you've applied any limits, are you searching the right dates, or looking for the right kind of documents?