Get good results when searching with these pro tips:
For some more guidance on developing a search strategy, have a look at our Composing a Search Library Guide. It provides a lot of information and guidance on how to conduct effective searches. This Library Guide also includes a "search composer", that you can use to build your search on any research question. To compose your search just follow the prompts / steps.
Want More?
Check out the Libguide called Develop a search strategy from Monash University Library.
To help refine your keyword searches it is recommended that you use Boolean operators (AND, OR, and NOT). These operators help connect your search terms and are used to broaden or narrow your search results.
AND - Placing AND between search terms instructs the database that both terms must appear somewhere in the results list.
NOT - When you place NOT before a keyword search it instructs the database that the keyword must not appear anywhere in the entry.
OR - Using OR between keywords instructs the database to search either or both of the keywords in the results list.
You are able to combine any of the Boolean operators to build very specific searches.
Except for logos, Canva designs or where otherwise indicated, content in this guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.