44 Precision Searching
Teaching & Learning, University Libraries; Robin Jeffrey; and Christina Frasier
Learning Objectives
- Strategize about how to best use keyword searches to optimize results.
- Understand tools available for keyword searching.
Effective searching takes precision. This section shows you how to perform several steps to make your searching more precise—you’ll turn up more sources that are useful to you and perhaps, sources that may be even crucial to your research question.
You’ve probably been searching in a more casual way for years and may wonder: Is going to the trouble of precision searching actually worth it?
Yes, definitely, for searches that are important to you! You’re in competition with many people who are working to be as skilled as they can be. So you should use of these steps for course assignments and for information tasks you do on the job. With other tasks and searches, precision searching may be less important.
Search Strategies
This information on precision searching is based on how search tools such as Google and specialized databases operate. If you’ve been more casual in your searching practices, some of these steps may be new to you.
Starting with a research question helps you figure out precisely what you’re looking for. Next, you’ll need the most effective set of search terms – starting from main concepts and then identifying and alternate between related and terms. Those search terms need to be arranged in the most effective way as search statements, which you actually type into a search box.
An important thing to remember is that searching is an iterative process: we try search statements, take a look at what we found and, if the results weren’t good enough, edit our search statements and search again—often multiple times. Most of the time, the first statements we try are not the best, even though Google or another search tool we’re using may give us many results.
It pays to search further for the sources that will help you the most. Be picky.
Here are the steps for an effective search:
- Identify main concepts
- List related terms
- Form search statements
- Search iteratively
What is searching iteratively? this means tailoring your search terms as you go for increased precision.
What do you do if the results you want aren’t coming up when you keyword search a database? Here are a few helpful tips:
- Searching a phrase? Put it in quotation marks: “textbook affordability” will get you results for that exact phrase.
- Searching for two terms that you think are topically related? Use AND (or +) to connect them: education AND racism, or, education + racism, will only bring up results that include both terms
- Searching for a term that’s commonly associated with a topic you don’t want to learn about? Use NOT (or -) in front of the keyword you don’t want results from: articles NOT magazines, or, articles – magazines, will bring up results that are about articles, but exclude any results that also include the