To form a search strategy you need to connect your keywords using AND and OR. These are known as connectors or boolean operators.
| Connector | What it does |
Example |
| AND |
Connects different keywords together to find references containing all the keywords. The more keywords you connect using AND the more focused your search will become. |
working hours AND family |
| OR |
Connects any synonyms or related keywords together for a key concept. Allows you to find references with one or more of these keywords. |
Families OR families OR parents OR parenting |
Single search box:
("working hours" OR "hours of work") AND (family OR parents)
Now read the below short guide and try the interactive activity.
Key function you can use in most search tools including the Library collection search and many databases:
| Key function | How to use it |
| Quotations marks "..." | Use to search for words as an exact phrase: "working hours" |
| Truncation | Use the * to find plurals and other word forms: parent* finds parents, parenting etc. |
| Brackets () |
Use to group similar keywords together if using a single search box: ("work hours" OR "job hours") AND (family OR parent) |
| Limits or filters |
Use to focus your search results further. Common limits in the Library collection search include:
|
| Advanced search | Most search tools have an advanced or multi-field search option. These can be useful to help you structure your search. |
Please note: the menu to refine your search results is now located on the right and called Refine my search.