Search Basics

Knowing how best to utilize search tools can prove invaluable when researching material for an assignment.

What is a search tool? | Search statement | Boolean operators
Phrase searching | Truncation | Field searching | Parentheses

Each record indexed by a search tool contains multiple fields (author, title, subjects, etc.) and, in most cases, you can search specifically for information contained in a particular field.

For instance, if you know the exact title of a book you want, search for it using the Title search option in Snowden Online. You can do this in article databases, too.

Example

You are interested in finding information about "just-in-time" management.

In Snowden Online, the keyword search option allows you to specify fields to search. If you search for:

just in time

If you select "Title", it will look for all records that contain "just in time" in the title field.

In a database such as ABI/INFORM, use the advanced search screen to specify in which field your keywords should appear.