How can I broaden or narrow down my search?
There are many ways that you can broaden or narrow down your search! Below are some of the ways:
- Use an advanced search: Using the advanced search section allows you to separate the topics and ideas that you are searching for, which can lead to a more narrowed search.
- Example: If you are researching housing discrimination for a specific population, searching for housing discrimination in the basic search bar may lead to many results. An advanced search would allow you to search for "housing discrimination" in one line and "African American OR Black OR minorit*" in another line. This would lead you to more topic specific sources.
- Using quotation marks: Using quotations marks will make sure that the phrase you are searching is searched as a phrase rather than individual words.
- Example: Searching for housing discrimination will search housing and discrimination as two separate words, but searching for "housing discrimination" will search for the phrase as one thing.
- Using conjunction words: Using conjuction words such as AND or OR can broaden you search by using words that are similar to what you are looking for.
- Example: When searching for "perception" you might want to search for "perception OR attitude OR opinion OR perspective."
- Using an astrix: Using an astrix allows you to search for a word and all of its different possible endings.
- ​Example: Rather than searching for "LGBTQ," you could search for "LGB*." This would then add LGBTQIA, LGBT+, LGBT, and more to your list of search items without you actually needing to type them in.
- Select a specific field in the search: Selecting a specific field can help if you have a more specific idea of what you are looking for.
- Example: One field option is "AU Author." If you are looking for articles written by a specific author, using this field specifier would filter articles and provide you with what you are looking for.
