To search for a phrase, use quotation marks. This tells the database to only show you results with those words in exactly the order you typed them.
To search for words with the same root or trunk, use an asterisk * , which is called a truncation symbol
The three basic boolean operators, AND, OR, & NOT, are used to create relationships between your search terms to either narrow or broaden your search results.
AND - Narrows your results by finding records with all of your search terms. Use AND to connect two or more different concepts.
OR - Broadens your results by finding records with one term or the other, or both terms. Use OR to connect two or more similar concepts (synonyms).
NOT - Narrows results by finding records that include the first term, but not the second. Use NOT to ignore concepts that may be implied by your search terms, but are not what you are looking for.
Databases such as JSTOR allow you to search specific fields for your search terms and filter your results with limiters. Using these can help ensure you are getting more relevant search results. See the example below from JSTOR of how to use Fields and Limiters:
If you do not use the fields to limit your search, JSTOR will look for your search terms anywhere in the full text of the article. (Sometimes this is helpful, but most of the time, it results in too many irrelevant results.)
If you want to limit results to just articles or just books, after you see the results list, check one of the boxes to show a specific type of content:
After you see the results list, use the subject limit (on the left) to find content in a specific discipline:
