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Human Services Research Guide

Searching Databases

Search Strategies for Information Research Tasks

When conducting research for academic or professional projects, a planned approach is essential. Academic research typically involves using databases. According to Britannica (2025), a database is “any collection of data or information, specially organized for rapid search and retrieval by a computer.”

To maximize your database searches, it’s helpful to understand strategies that work across most databases. Common search approaches include keyword, natural language, subject/controlled vocabulary, and combined methods. While many databases support multiple strategies, some are optimized for specific approaches. This guide emphasizes keyword searching.

Many library databases offer built-in help guides that recommend search techniques tailored to each specific database. The following sections will outline tips for using these key search strategies.

Keyword Searches

Keyword Searching for Library Databases and the Web

In database searching, keywords are defined as "single words or short phrases that can be combined in various ways to retrieve different search results" (University of Houston Libraries).

Students often struggle to find the "best words" for effective searches. The key to successful keyword searching is experimentation—try using synonyms and related terms to refine your results. (See the explanation and examples of how OR works in database searches.)

When preparing a keyword search, focus on the essential terms in your research question or topic description. For example, for the question, "What are common characteristics of children diagnosed with autism?", you might identify the following necessary words as keywords.

  • children
  • autism
  • characteristics

Typically, omit small words like "the," "of," "as," and question words (what, how). To avoid biasing your search, also exclude judgment words (e.g., best, worst, advantages) (Walden University Library). If you choose to include judgment words, ensure you conduct searches that cover both sides of the issue (e.g., common vs. unusual, best vs. worst, advantages vs. disadvantages).

Keyword Searching Visual Representations

AND

  • Used to narrow or focus a search
  • Tell search engine to retrieve results that have all the designated search terms (within the same article, book chapter, etc.)
  • Think "Both and" or "All of the Above"

Venn diagram with key terms social emotional learning AND elementary school AND group work shown in the intersecting circles         View larger image
 

  • Referring to the diagram, a search entered as "social emotional learning" AND "group work" AND "elementary school" should retrieve results represented by the area of overlap of all three circles (where the AND label is).

OR

  • Used to expand a search.
  • Tells search engine to retrieve results including any of the designated search terms.
  • Or helps when you don't know the best keywords or phrases to use.
  • Entering multiple synonyms and/or related words connected by OR can increase your chances of getting relevant results.

Venn diagram showing three overlapping pink (same color) circles. Each circle includes a keyword or phrase representing a similar idea.         View larger image

  • Referring to the diagram, a search entered as "social emotional learning" OR "social emotional development" OR SEL, should retrieve results represented by the area included in all the circles. This is why they are all the same color.

NOT

  • Used to exclude a subset of results 
  • Tells the search engine to retrieve results related to the designated search term except for a specified subtopic.
  • Note: Not works better in some databases than others. It can involve some trial and error.

External blue circle labeled early childhood education while smaller internal yellow circle is labeled kindergarten        View larger image

  • Referring to the diagram, a search entered as "early childhood education" NOT kindergarten should retrieve results about early childhood education across grade levels that are considered part of early childhood but not those about kindergarten. 

More Search Tips

Other Useful Database Search Strategies

Check out these tips for other functions you can use to get the most out of your searches. (Note: Versions of these approaches work across most library-provided databases.)

  • Truncation: Using a symbol at the end of a base or root of the word to tell the database to search for that word part plus any possible endings attached to it. The symbol used varies by database. 
    Example: Entering the search term as learn* tells the search engine to look for and retrieve items including the word(s) learn, learns, learning, learner, learners, learnable, etc. 
    Another way to achieve the same goal would be to use OR between each of the related terms, but truncation saves time and effort.
  • Wild card: Functions the same as truncation except that wild card symbol takes the place of letters in the middle of words instead of at the end. 
    Example: Entering the search term as wom!n tells the search engine to look for and retrieve results including the words woman, women, etc. 
  • Limiters built into databases: Look for options to select only peer-reviewed/scholarly/academic sources or to restrict the publication date range of the results to a certain number of years or to specific dates.