Top 4 most useful search tips
These search tips will work in many different databases, including BU Libraries Search, Google, and many of our subscription sources like JSTOR.
1. Surround your terms in quotes if you’re looking for an exact title or some meaningful phrase.
“review of educational research”
2. There are usually many slightly different words to describe one basic concept, so put synonyms in your search.
cars OR automobiles
3. Group like terms in parenthesis with OR, and capitalize the operators AND, OR, and NOT.
(cars OR automobiles) AND (hybrid OR electric)
4. Try truncation. A search for teach* retrieves results for (teach OR teaches OR teaching OR teacher, etc).
teach*
Going beyond these simple tips is also possible in many of our subscription databases. For instance, did you know that in PsycInfo, you can limit a search to show only results related to “Adolescence (13-17 yrs)”?
For more tips, please search or browse Frequently Asked Questions through our Ask a Librarian service.