Search Word Help
The search words you use to search article databases like Academic Search Complete will yield the best results if the words mirror database terms used to describe the articles or are in the text of the articles.
Key Elements of Successful Searching:
· Synonyms: use more than one expression to describe your topic: for example: smoking cessation OR tobacco cessation
· Truncation: use * to “truncate” words to find as many forms of the word as possible: for example: prevent* will yield prevent OR prevents OR prevention OR preventing
· Logical operators OR and AND: for example: health belief AND smoking cessation will yield articles that deal with both the topic of the health belief model OR health beliefs and the topic of smoking cessation (narrows your search); smoking cessation OR tobacco cessation will yield articles on either the topic of smoking cessation or the topic of tobacco cessation (broadens your search)
· Phrase searching: in Ebscohost databases, use N4 to find terms 4 words apart: for example, prevent* N4 smoking yields articles where the words smoking and prevent/prevents/prevention/preventing appear within four words of each other
Clarify Your Concepts by Using a Table:
If you are researching how the health belief model can be applied to smoking cessation for women, here is one possible set of search terms:
|
Concept: Smoking Cessation |
Concept: Health Belief Model |
Concept: Females |
|
Smoking Cessation |
Health Belief Model |
Female* |
|
Tobacco Cessation |
Attitudes Toward Health |
Wom?n |
|
Smoking Prevent* |
Attitudes Toward Smoking |
|
Limit to Full Text, Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals, or to English Language only articles
Remember!: review your search results and use words from the “subjects,” titles or abstracts to make your search strategy more effective!
Here is a screen shot of how the search, limited to English language articles, would appear in Academic Search Complete:
