Search Tips

Whether you are searching for information on Google, the library catalogue or a database, there are certain search techniques that you can use to ensure you get the best results.


Phrase Searching " "

By putting quotation marks around a phrase it tells the computer to look for the whole phrase rather than the words by themselves.

For example, "back pain", "joint structure", "low back".


Boolean searching, using AND, OR and NOT

AND tells the computer to find information that contains BOTH of the words. For example: back AND pain

OR tells the computer to search for information that contains either of the words. For example: back OR spine

NOT tells the computer to leave out any results that contain the specified words. For example: child NOT adult.

Truncation *

Truncation uses an * at the end of the stem of a word, to tell the computer to search for all words with that stem.
For example, searching for chiropract* will find chiropractic, chiropractor.

Wildcard ?

Wildcard uses a ? to replace one letter in a word. It can be useful to use when there are variable spelling for a word, such as pediatric/paediatric.
To search for both of these words you can use the wild card like this: p?ediatric.