Using the Advanced Search Feature to Locate Items in the Library's Catalog

 

Search Hints:

 

Boolean Operators:

These operators tell the search boxes how to interpret the keywords you enter.  They are useful for narrowing down a specific subject or for combining various synonyms to your topic.

 

• And - will retrieve records that contain all the words or phrases specified, as well as linking various concepts together.

 

                                                     violence and war

 

• Or - will retrieve records that contain any of the words or phrases specified and is also used to find a variety of terms that can express the same concept.

 

                                                     violence or war

 

• Not - retrieves records that contain your first search term, but not include the second.  This is especially helpful in narrowing down closely related subject terms.

 

                                                      violence not war

 

Parentheses:

Generally when you start your research, your topic will include more than one concept.  In order for the search tool to understand exactly what you are looking for, use parentheses () to group keywords for each concept.

 

Example Topic:  The effect of indoor air quality on workplace productivity.

 

      Concepts: indoor air quality, workplace productivity

 

 

Phrase Searching:

If you are searching for an expression that uses two or more words, you may need to use quotation "" marks.  If you use quotation marks in your search, the search tool will return results that only contain the phrase or expression you are looking for.

 

Examples:

"women's rights"

"global warming"

 

Truncation:

Allows for the retrieval of records showing words with alternate endings.

 

Using a * or a ? in your search will bring up those words with alternate endings in your search.

 

Examples:                                                     

market* >> market, markets, marketer, marketers, marketing

 

Sometimes you may come up with results in more subject areas than you expect, such as truncating the word 'cat.'

 

cat?  >> cat, cats, catalog, catacomb, cataclysm

 

Parentheses:

Generally when you start your research, your topic will include more than one concept.  In order for the search tool to understand exactly what you are looking for, use parentheses () to group keywords for each concept.

 

Putting it all together:

 

Example Topic:  The effect of indoor air quality on workplace productivity.

 

      Concepts: indoor air quality, workplace productivity

 

Possible Search Statement: Don't worry!  Yours doesn't have to be this complicated!  This is just an example of what you can do with these tools.

 

("indoor air quality" or "indoor air pollution" or "air quality" or "air pollution") and (workplace or "work environment" or office*) and productivity

 

This particular search will not retrieve results in the MnPALS catalog, but you will get results in our EBSCO database.