Techniques

Boolean operators

• AND
  • Many databases don’t need AND, it is assumed
  • The more terms you AND together, the fewer results you find
• OR
  • Used to combine synonyms/related terms
  • The more terms you OR together, the more results you find
  • Use brackets when using synonyms with OR
• NOT
  • Use to remove irrelevant results that use the same term
  • When you use NOT you will find fewer results

Phrase searching

• Quotations - “biological signaling”

Truncation

• Asterisk (sometimes other symbol) – signal*

Search Tips

• Synonyms or related terms
• Discover new terms in your search results
• Controlled vocabulary
• Author search
• Refine/Filters
• Citation tracking
• Citation counts
• Search history

Getting Started

• Review articles
• Dissertations/Theses