This box lives at How To Do Research > Searching for Information > Search Strategies
It is included on the in the How Am I Ever Going to Find Five Sources?" (Advanced Search Techniques) page of the Reading & Writing Intensive Canvas Module
If you're worried about finding enough sources for your paper, you're not alone. Databases can give you an overwhelming number of results, and sometimes it feels like none of them are quite what you need. Advanced search techniques can help you get rid of irrelevant resources so that you can focus on the ones that best serve your topic.
This page will explain how to:
- Use search filters to refine your search results, and
- Use field searching to target your search terms.
Need a review of basic search techniques? Visit our Search Strategies (link when we have a link) page to refresh your memory on how to select and combine keywords and refine your search results.
If you're still struggling to find resources, don't hesitate to contact the library for help. Librarians are experts at using these tools, and we can help you get on the right track with your research.
This box lives at How To Do Research > Searching for Information > Search Strategies
It is included on the:
- Searching for Information - Search Strategies page of the English Comp Canvas Module
- How Am I Ever Going to Find Five Sources?" (Advanced Search Techniques) page of the Reading & Writing Intensive Canvas Module
Advanced Search Options
Use an Advanced Search to combine keywords, search by subject term, search inside articles and eBooks, or search by author.
Then put the terms for each concept in one of the boxes in an advanced search. Use Boolean terms and options in the drop-down menu to tell the discovery search tool how you want to connect your concepts and where you want to find those terms.
Combining multiple concepts in a search is a little like building a math equation:
(SUBJECT = racism)
+
(KEYWORDS = society OR community)
+
(ALL TEXT = "implicit bias").