Key Words and Phrases
The effectiveness of your search largely hinges on the keywords and phrases you choose. You can combine them or utilize advanced search features along with Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to broaden or refine your results. For more expert search tips, refer to the guide: How to Navigate the Research Process. Tip: Enclose phrases in quotation marks!
Here are some sample search combinations:
- black AND feminism - AND narrows the search and locates articles that include both words
- "black feminism" - quotation marks (") narrow the search and locate articles that include that exact phrase. More precise than using AND, but can be restrictive.
- feminism OR womanism - OR broadens the search and locates articles with either word
- Beyonce NOT Jay-Z - NOT narrows the search and locates articles that include the first word, but not the second
- black AND (feminism OR womanism) - operators can be strung together for more precise searching
