Tips
Use Strategic searching
✓ Combine keyword and subject searching.
✓ Combine multiple subjects.
✓ Combine a previous search or add new terms to a previous search.
✓ In psychology databases, use the Advanced search page limiters to refine your search and for targeted results.
✓ Filter results by Date, Peer-Reviewed, Methodology, Classification, Subjects and other available limiters to refine your search.
Search Strategies
| Boolean Operator | Strategy | Examples of key terms for searching |
|---|---|---|
| AND | Use to search different concepts together; produces fewer results | culture AND education |
| OR | Use to link similar terms; produces more results | disabilities OR special needs |
| NOT | Use to specify a term you do not want in the search results | (children OR child) AND disabilities NOT therapy |
| Other Search Techniques | Strategy | Examples of key terms for searching |
|---|---|---|
| Truncation (*) | Searches the ROOT of a word ended with *; searches alternative endings | educat* AND culture Searches: educate, educates, education AND culture, cultures, cultural |
| Use fewer concepts | Increases number of results | child* AND disabil* |
| Use more concepts | Decreases number of results | child* AND disabil* AND educat* |
| Phrase Search | Use quotation marks to search an exact phrase | "children with disabilities" AND educat* AND cultur* |
Search Expressions
For primary research, include relevant terms in your search, such as report, research, "purpose of the study", experiment, survey, etc.
Browse the broader, narrower and related terms in the thesaurus or subject terms for more targeted results and to see relationship between various topics.
Try the following Search examples in the indicated databases:
- "history of pragmatism" AND psychology AND theory
(in APA PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection) - William James AND pragmatism AND (history or significance)
(in APA PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection) - ( DE "Psychosocial Development" OR DE "Childhood Play Development" OR DE "Personality Development" OR DE "Psychosexual Development" ) AND "history of psychology"
(in APA PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection) - (DE "Psychology and religion" OR Bible -- Psychology...) AND psychological theor*
(in Atla Religion Database with AtlaSerials PLUS)
Evaluate Sources
Evaluate your resources for authority, timeliness, and relevance.
What are the assignment requirements? While searching, limit your resources to peer-reviewed, scholarly articles. Set date restrictions for current articles and research.
Is the article a primary or secondary source? What type of research or methodology is demonstrated, if any? (theoretical study, case study, cause and effect experiment, survey, etc.)