To ensure your search is as comprehensive and efficient as possible, it is worth considering the following:
Be systematic in your approach.
An outline of the aims of your project will help you to define the extent of your search.
Decide upon suitable search terms bearing in mind synonyms, spelling variants etc.
Remember: a little lateral thinking in choice of search terms goes a long way.
Establish the scope of your search, perhaps you want to limit by date, by language or country of publication.
Remember to record all references fully, accurately and consistently.
Failure to do this may give you problems later on when you come to compile your bibliography.
This represents a few selected titles in this subject, for more, please consult the Catalogue.
Hints:
Databases are all different however the principles of searching are similar
Most of the databases have a short guide available to get you started
Use on-line help options to get the best use of a database
Construct your search using the features given in the table below
Avoid using the operator NOT as it is easy to unwittingly exclude useful references
| Boolean Operators:-
Use AND, OR and NOT to narrow or broaden your search:- |
Quality AND Service = both words are retrieved therefore this narrows your search.
Hotel OR Motel = either word is retrieved therefore this broadens your search. Performance NOT Appraisal = will leave out references relating to your search term therefore narrows your search. |
| Truncation:-
wildcards such as * or ? at the end of a word retrieves various endings to that word |
e.g. comput* retrieves computer, computing, computerized etc. - symbols used may vary from one database to another. |
| Wildcard operators such as * or ? within a word retrieves variations of that word | e.g. wom?n retrieves woman and women |
| Thesaurus:-
Use to find narrower, related or broader terms |
e.g.. quality:-
related = accuracy narrower = total quality management |
| Noise Words:-
Common words are not searchable in most databases unless specified as part of a phrase. |
e.g.:-or, on, at, a, the and many more |
Advanced Search
Don’t worry if you can’t recall these search tips, they are all present in the Advanced search options. Click Settings and choose Advanced Search.
Narrow down search results for complex searches by using the Advanced Search page. For example, find websites written in Spanish that have "Paella" in the title and were updated in the last 24 hours. Or find black and white images of New York.
Get to the Advanced Search page
How the Advanced Search page works
Filters
Search filters include Web News Images Books Video
Search tools option will open additional filters depending on the initial filter, eg web: date, reading level, country; images: size, colour, type, usage rights;
Books: ebook, free ebook, publication date;
Video: length, quality date
Tip: You can also use many of these filters in the search box with search operators.
Academic staff and researchers at the University record their research output on the University's Institutional Repository.
No matter what you're looking for, start with a simple search like where's the closest airport?. You can always add a few descriptive words if necessary. Google ignores small words so don’t type long sentences.
If you're looking for a place or product in a specific location, add the location. For example, Bakery Seattle.
Tired of typing? Click the microphone icon in the Google app 
, or Chrome's search box to search by voice.
When you're deciding what words to put in the search box, try to choose words that are likely to appear on the site you're looking for. For example, instead of saying my head hurts, say headache, because that’s the word a medical site would use.
For many searches, Google will do the work for you and show an answer to your question on the search results. Some features, like information about sports teams, aren't available in all regions.