Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Phrase Searching: at the end of this module you'll know how to effectively
search for a phrase.
Phrase searching is used to make your search more precise by using quotes around
a phrase,
so that it looks for the words in that exact order.
'Pet therapy,' finds the words 'Pet' and 'Therapy' anywhere in a record
"Pet therapy" in quotes finds those two words in the exact order in a record.
In this example, I'm using the library database Academic Search Complete to begin
my research on pet therapy with humans.
I got a lot of hits, but
it's not until I see the fourth hit that I begin to see even anything having
to do with what i was thinking about,
so I'm going to go back and put my
phrase in quotes to make my search more efficient.
And I've dramatically reduced the number of results I get,
but they're much more targeted.
Another cool thing about phrase searching is it works in Google searches too
almost every database you search will have an advanced search screen and
help page.
It's worth the time to read the help tips in databases to make you a more
efficient
researcher. You should now know how to use phrase searching as part of your search
strategy.