2023 Spring - Grade 8 Science - Life Cycle Analysis Project: Search Strategies

• 20 Google Search Tips to Use Google More Effectively (LifeHack)
• 23 Google Search Tips You'll Want to Learn (PC Magazine)

To retrieve the most relevant search results, you will need to construct a search string. 

A search string is a combination of keywords, truncation symbols, and boolean operators you enter into the search box of a library database or search engine.

Boolean Operators - The Boolean operators And, Or, and Not logically combine search terms:

• Limit results - And - A record must match both the term before and the term after the operator to be included in the search results.
• Expand results - Or - A record can match either the term before or the term after the operator, or both, to be included in the search results.
• Limit results - Not - A record must match the term before the operator, but not the term after the operator, to be included in the search results. 

The keywords you use can have a profound impact on the results of your research. Using the “right” words will speed up the research process, while the “wrong” words can bring to it to a halt.

Before you can begin searching for information, you need to identify keywords related to your topic. Key terminology can be easily be found

• by using a thesaurus to find synonyms
• breaking down your object into its components and searching on each of those (e.g. cacao beans for chocolate)
• brainstorming keywords with your teachers, friends or librarian
• consider the different areas your assignment covers (e.g. production, manufacturing, uses, recycling, disposal, etc.)

Truncation or wildcard symbols allow you to look for variations of words. They often broaden your search results.

For example, searching on sport* would bring up variations such as sport, sports, sporting, sporty, etc. 

Note: The truncation symbol varies by database. Consult the database’s “help” or “search tips” pages for details.