|
|
Teaching and Learning with Technology
|
Main Menu |
LOCATION: HOME PAGE: SEARCH TIPS Multiple Keywords & SynonymsSelecting the right combination of keywords will help you retrieve the correct data for the majority of databases you will encounter. Understanding keywords is especially important for simple search engine interfaces such as those found on the Google search engine. Below are some steps for one set of search strategies. This Page: Strategies for a Keyword Search
A. Know Your Search TypeMost search interfaces, particularly on the Web, are set up for keywords (a list of key topics covered in the database contents). Keywords work best if you are doing a single item search or a topic search because keywords allow you to narrow the criteria pretty finely. If you are not sure what you need, you may need to do a little browsing within a topic first before doing a more specific search. B. Repetitive SearchesThe key to a successful search is usually repetitive searching. Unless you know exactly what you want (a single item search), the chances are likely you will need to do variations of your search until you get the data you need. C. Enter Multiple Keywords FirstThe more keywords you know, the better your chances for a successful search will be. For instance, if you want to know the number of people who reported themselves to be French native speakers in the last U.S. census, you would enter all these keywords into a search engine like Google: Multiple Keyword Examples - French Native Speakers in U.S.Entered Keywords French native speakers U.S. Census 2000 If you just entered one keyword, such as "French", a search engine would pull up all sites related to the French language. Since most people are interested in learning French (or possibly French food), those sites would be listed first. You would have to scroll through many pages to find the page you need. Technical Tip - Some databases like Access require the use of the AND Boolean operator when entering multiple keywords. If the database you are using rejects multiple keywords or reports that "this phrase was not found", check to see if the AND is required. See the Boolean Search page for more tips. D. Exact Phrases and Case SensitivityExact PhraseIf the multiple keyword search strategy had not worked, you could try entering an entire phrase like "French native speakers in the U.S." Typically you have place the phrase in double quotes in order to trigger an exact phrase search. Case Sensitivity (Capital vs. Lowercase Letters)One other caveat to database searching is that some databases, particularly older ones, may be sensitive to upper versus lower cases, meaning that you have to search separately for upper case versus lower case. In a case sensitive database, "red" (all lowercase) would be different from "Red" (capitalized) or "RED" (all caps). E. Use SynonymsIf the search strategy with multiple keywords did not produce the appropriate results, the next step may be to use a synonym. The example above used "U.S.", but maybe the resources has "United States"or "U.S.A." or "America" as a keyword instead. Similarly, if you are interested in date from the United Kingdom, you may Technical Tip - You can use the OR Boolean operator when entering multiple keywords. If the database you are using rejects multiple keywords or reports that "this phrase was not found", check to see if the AND is required. See the Boolean Search page for more tips.
F. Broaden Search to Single KeywordIf you get a "no results found" error. then the next step may be to try a broader search. The information you need may be available, but may be classified as a synonymous keyword. For example, you may be interested in "illegal drugs", but the database may classify the contents under "narcotics" or even "controlled substances." If you use a more general search word, you may be able to look through the results and see if an alternative keyword is listed.
G. Use Browse or Directory Listing ModeIf your search results are not satisfactory or are confusing, then see if the database has some sort of directory, site map or browse mode. This will allow you to see an overview of all the available contents in a database and learn how it is organized. If there is no Site map or Browse mode available then look for a Show All Records option. Technical Tip - Some databases like Access or Filemaker may include reports in which you can search or show for all data. Quick ReviewRoll your mouse over the blue box after each question to see the answer. Where are the keywords in these sentences?What is the difference between a Pembroke Welsh corgi and a Cardigan corgi? How are the structures of snowflakes classified? Which states have Democratic senators?
Next: Wildcard Searches
|
