Efficient Keyword Searches: Tips to Save Time Searching for Information

Tips to Save You Time: Find Information Fast Spanish 334 English 334

Topic Information: Isabel Allende is a Chilean author who writes in Spanish. Her works have been translated into more than 42 languages. How did her roots influence the writing of her first novel, 1982s La Casa de los Espiritus? https://pictures.abebooks.com/isbn/9780525433477-us.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Isabel_Allende_Frankfurter_Buchmesse_2015.JPG

Select Keywords: Isabel Allende is a Chilean author who writes in Spanish. Her works have been translated into more than 42 languages. How did her roots influence the writing of her first novel, 1982s La Casa de los Espiritus? https://pictures.abebooks.com/isbn/9780525433477-us.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Isabel_Allende_Frankfurter_Buchmesse_2015.JPG

l Isabel Allende La Casa de los Espiritus Select Keywords from Topic Roots Chilean M O R E Family Chile Allende, Isabel The House of the Spirits B R A I N S T O R M Mother Latin American Author K E Y W O R D S Uncle Chile THINK: What words do authors use when writing about this topic? What words do librarians use when describing this topic (subjects)?

You may also see subjects as you search that can be used as keywords. Add them to your chart.

Keyword Searches = Efficiency Use keywords or subjects in your searches Do not write full or partial sentences Use some, but not all, of the keywords in a search Use the next few tips to formulate your searches

Try the searches provided in a database to see what happens Keyword Tip #1: Phrases Quotation Marks Use when a few words often or always occur in a specific order Words will be in that order in the results Narrows search (finds fewer, more useful results) twentieth century twentieth century Finds= Finds= NOT lgbtq because it is only one term

Try the searches provided in a database to see what happens Keyword Tip #2: Use AND AND Use to connect different concepts Both concepts will be in the results Narrows search (finds fewer, more useful results) twentieth century twentieth century AND poetry twentieth century AND lesbian twentieth century AND poetry AND lesbian Finds= Finds= Finds= Finds=

Try the searches provided in a database to see what happens Keyword Tip #3: Use NOT NOT Use to remove a term Order matters, use it before the last term The term after NOT will be omitted from the results Narrows search (finds fewer, more useful results) twentieth century AND poetry AND lesbian twentieth century AND poetry AND lesbian NOT european Finds= Finds=

Try the searches provided in a database to see what happens Keyword Tip #4: Use OR OR Use to connect similar concepts At least one term will be in the results Broadens search (finds more results, is more thorough) Saves time by doing several searches in one twentieth century twentieth century OR 20th century Finds= Finds=

Try the searches provided in a database to see what happens Keyword Tip #5: Use Truncation Truncation Use to find various endings of a word Place symbol at the end of the rootword Broadens search (finds more results) femin* = feminine, femininity, feminist, feminization poe* = poem, poems, poetry, Poecile, Poe, Edgar Allan...

Try the searches provided in a database to see what happens Keyword Tip #6: Nesting Nesting Use to assure search runs correctly when using ORs with ANDs and/or NOTs Like in algebraic equations Place OR phrase in parentheses Can also do easily in databases advanced search ( twentieth century OR 20th century ) AND lesbian* AND poetry love AND (lgbt*OR lesbian*) AND Lorde NOT Rich