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Steps in the Research Process
Define the Question
Construct the Query
Select & Search Databases
Evaluate Your Search
Manage Your Results
Report Your Results
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Construct the Query
Once you have selected a variety of keywords to use, it is time to build your search query. Remember that not all databases
use the same search terms, but most use some form of Boolean searching, and many also use truncation and phrase searching. Using
all three techniques in one search query can produce very precise results. Many databases have help pages so you can learn what
their specific features are. If you would like assistance with developing your
search query, please request a consultation with an HSL librarian.
- Boolean Searching: Use the connector terms AND, OR, & NOT to structure your search query.
AND requires that both keywords appear
in the same document; OR requires that one or the other keyword appears; NOT requires that the keword is absent. You can construct a
particularly powerful search query by using parentheses ( ) to nest concepts together. Use the NC State University Libraries'
Keyword Builder: Make a Boolean Search
if you would like to practice.
- Truncation Searching: Many databases will let you search for multiple keywords with the same root by using a truncation
symbol such as * or ? at the end of the root (ex: using handl* will find handle, handled, handler, handles, and handling).
There are two caveats here: 1) make sure you know what the truncation symbol is for the database you are searching by checking the
help pages (if available), and 2) be sure to
choose a root that will return a sufficiently small number of relevant words. For example, the root "staph*" finds more than
150 variations in PubMed.>
- Phrase Searching: If you are looking for two or more words that are almost always next to each other, you can force most
databases to search for them as a phrase by surrounding them with double quotation marks (ex: "blood sampling").
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