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Help with...Database Searching

TABLE of CONTENTS

I. Database Concepts II. Search Concepts
  1) Every database covers particular topics.   1) General keyword searching allows you to look for your term anywhere in the record.
  2) Every database covers a particular time period.   2) Field searching allows you to look for your term in a specific section of the record.
  3) Most databases are indexes.   3) Placing limits or refining your search usually involves field searching.
  4) Some databases provide the full text of articles.
(E.g. JSTOR provides electronic versions of academic journals.)		   4) Phrase searching allows you to search for two or more words that are adjacent to each other.
  5) A database is composed of records.   5) The common connectors (AND/OR/NOT) used between search terms are called Boolean operators.
  6) When you search a database you are usually searching records NOT text.   6) Proximity searching allows you to search for terms by spatial relationship.
(E.g. Search for terms within the same sentence or paragraph or within a specific number of words from each other).
  7) Records are composed of fields (e.g. title, author, subject).   7) Truncation and wild cards allow you to search for variations on a word or term.
(E.g. Searching for wom*n in Lexis-Nexis finds woman and women.)
III. Working With Your Results IV. Troubleshooting
  1) Decide which information you want displayed.   1) Help! Which database should I use?
  2) Mark the records you are interested in.   2) Help! I received NO records.
  3) Use "Print Preview" to identify a section of a document/web page that you want to print.   3) Help! I received only a few records.
  4) Save records to disk or e-mail them.   4) Help! I received too many records.
V. Index of Selected Terms Used in Database Searching
All of these Field Searching Phrase Searching
AND Full Text Print Preview
Any of these Implied Boolean Logic Proximity Searching
As a phrase Index Record
Boolean Logic Keyword Refine
Boolean Operators Keyword Searching Time Period
Citation Limit Topic
Coverage Marking Records Truncation
False Hits NOT Wild Cards
Field OR  
 
If you have questions about database searching,
ask the Reference Librarian, tel (518) 580-5503.
 

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John Cosgrove
jcosgrov@skidmore.edu
Lucy Scribner Library, Skidmore College
http:/hudson2.skidmore.edu/library/help//databasesearching/contents.htm
Last updated: April 27, 2003