This tool is designed to teach you how to create a search string. Cut and paste the search string results into the search box of a library database or search engine.
Identify the main concepts in your topic by selecting nouns important to the content and context. Leave out words that don’t help the search, such as adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and, usually, verbs.
For each main concept, list alternative terms, including synonyms and singular and plural forms of the words. Sometimes synonyms, plurals, and singulars aren’t enough. So also consider associations with other words and concepts. Check to make sure that your terms are not too broad or too narrow for what you want. Figuring out what’s too broad or too narrow takes practice and may differ a bit with each search.
Steps to Create a Search String
Created by: Coulter Library, Onondaga Community College, Syracuse, NY
Step 1: Create a list of keywords and phrases
Step 2: combine keywords and phrases using Boolean operators.
Boolean Operators are often used in-between keywords in a search string.
Some search engines will search for ALL of your keywords when you enter them next to each other. For example, searching for the following:
To better control your search you will want to design your search string with Boolean operators in the way that works best for your research question. These are words you can use to connect your keywords systematically. You can use Boolean operators to narrow or broaden your search.
Narrow Your Search: AND is an example of a Boolean Operator: As you add more keywords, the number of documents that contain all of the keywords is going to diminish.
Expand Your Search: OR is a Boolean Operator that expands your search. In the search string example above you may not need both of the keywords doctors and nurses to be in each of the items in your results list. You can combine the doctor and nurse keywords with the OR operator to tell the search tool that either keyword is acceptable. Terms combined with OR should be set off with parentheses. Example: "flu shots" AND mandatory AND (doctors OR nurses)
Difference in the library's multi-search results for each of the search string examples.
Use the Boolean Operator Machine to see a visual representation of Boolean searching.
Step 3: Use Punctuation Tricks
Use punctuation tricks to further refine your search.
Parenthesis - These can used to group keywords together when using the OR operator. Example: mandated AND flu AND vaccinations AND (nurse OR doctor)
Asterisk - Use the asterisk symbol to truncate your keywords. This means searching for all variant endings of a word. Example: nurs* will search for nurse, nurses, nursing, etc...)
Quotes - Use quotes around keyword phrases so search engines bring back results that include your keyword phrase together not separately, Example: "flu vaccinations" will bring back items that contain the phrase flu vaccinations and will not include items that have the keyword flu separate from the keyword vaccinations within the item.
Boolean operators are connector words, such as AND, OR, and NOT, that are used to combine or exclude words in a search string for more focused results.
| Operator | Examples | Results |
| AND |
business AND ethics |
Results contain ALL of the search terms. |
| OR |
hotels OR motels |
Results contain ANY of the search terms, but not necessarily all of them. |
| NOT |
java NOT coffee |
Excludes results containing the second search term. |
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.
Search Rules: