8th Grade Science Inquiry Project: Research Skills

Creating Search Strings

To retrieve the most relevant search results, you will need to construct a search string. 

A search string is a combination of keywords, truncation symbols, and boolean operators you enter into the search box of a library database or search engine.

Boolean Operators - The Boolean operators And, Or, and Not logically combine search terms:

• Limit results - And - A record must match both the term before and the term after the operator to be included in the search results.
• Expand results - Or - A record can match either the term before or the term after the operator, or both, to be included in the search results.
• Limit results - Not - A record must match the term before the operator, but not the term after the operator, to be included in the search results. 
• Use TRUNCATION (i.e., shortening a word to its root or base form using a designated symbol, such as ?, * !, $) for words that might:

*Have more than one significant form, e.g., shakespear? = finds shakespeare, shakespearean, shakespeares, shakespearian.

*Have alternative spellings (type as much as you KNOW is correct!)., e.g. theater or theatre