Learn more about using the advanced features of search engines to specify what you want.
Use the advanced search feature to form a smarter search. Separating out your concepts helps the database understand what you mean.
Using advanced search also makes it easier to set other requirements for your research, like the date range during which it was published or what type of material it is.
The button for advanced search will look different on each database platform, but it's worth finding!
The three Boolean Operators: AND, OR, NOT can be found under advanced search or typed directly into a search box. Placing a Boolean Operator between your keywords will allow you to narrow or expand your search.
AND narrows your results by finding results that mention both terms.
For example, if you are researching the use of music therapy in pain management use AND to find articles that combine your two keywords.
Pain Management AND Music Therapy
OR broadens your results by returning results with either search term.
Suppose you are still choosing a topic. You are interested in pain management as well as music therapy. You would like to see articles on either, even if they do not overlap.
Pain Management OR Music Therapy
NOT eliminates a specific term from your results.
If you are interested in alternative treatments for pain management but are not interested in articles on music therapy, you can use NOT to eliminate those results.
Pain Management NOT Music Therapy
Most of these search techniques apply to searching online, too. For example, many websites and search engines will have an advanced search option. Learn more in the guide below!
Find results with exact phrases using quotation marks. Without the quotation marks, the database will return results with all the words included in the search, but perhaps not in the context you intended.
Note that this will narrow your search, so it there are not enough results consider removing the quotation marks and trying again.
Finding one article on your topic can often lead to a lot more! Browse the references of the article to find sources cited in their literature review. The authors are likely experts on the topic and have already done the searching for you! Some tools can also help you find sources that have cited the one you are reading since it was published. By nature, these will be more recent!
There is often a feature built into library databases that provides a linked list of references. In Spartan Search, click the red arrows next to the article's title to find the article's References (the downward-facing arrow), and articles that have cited this title (the upward-facing arrow).
Don't see that option? You can manually copy that title into Spartan Search, ideally in quotation marks, to look for the full text. If you don't find your article, you can try searching on Google Scholar to see if there is a free copy available. Free copies are linked to the right of the article title.
Still can't find it? Create a request in your TIPASA Interlibrary Loan Account.