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English Libguide

GALILEO

Search all of GALILEO in one fell swoop with this search bar!  You can also visit the GALILEO site directly to browse by subject or material. 

 

 

Database Search Tips

Keywords

Using keywords and/or phrases is essential in an effective database search. Where do you find the keywords or phrases to use? Just look at your working topic sentence. 

Example of a working topic sentence

  • The significance of Hero's Journey and mythology in Harry Potter.

Remember to use quotation marks when using a phrase or phrases in a database search.

example of the use of phrases in a database search
  • "Hero's Journey" and "Harry Potter"

Example of Advance Search using Boolean OperatorsBoolean Search

Oh, the dreaded Boolean search. Shall we skip this?

Believe it or not, you use Boolean search operators every time you conduct an Advance Search in a database. Boolean operators allow you to produce better search results by giving you the ability to narrow or broaden a search for topic or subject. 

  • Use AND operator to limit search results to only keywords or phrase(s) you are using. (Narrow search)
  • Use OR operator to expand your search with additional keywords. (Broaden search)

Library Tip:

Experiment using the "Select a Field " options in your search for information.

Limiter Options 

Use limiter options available in the databases to produce the best search results. Have fun exploring limit options while conducting research. You might just be surprised!

Limit To options in GALILEOLibrary Tips:

Full Text: Select this option when conducting research for articles.
Scholarly (Peer-Reviewed) Journals: Most reliable source of information to use on your subject.
Publication: Use to find the most current information on your topic by selecting a specific date range.
Limit by Type: Allows you to select the type of source(s) to use in research (i.e. Reviews, Magazines, eBooks)
Subject: Use this option to find sources on your subject.