| Did you get too many search results? Try this: |
| Add additional keywords- (ex: college AND stress AND academics) |
| Choose more specific search terms- (ex: hiking AND DeLand instead of hiking AND central Florida) |
| Exclude words from your search results- (ex: travel NOT “time travel”) |
| Use search filters- limit by source type, date of publication, language, subject, & more. |
| Choice of database- select a database with a narrower scope of subject matter |
| Search by subject- search for your terms as a subject instead of as a keyword |
| Didn't get enough search results? Try this: |
| Choice of keywords- choosing the right keywords is key. Try experimenting with different terms. (ex: Movie OR cinema OR film OR motion picture) |
| Too narrow topic- try looking for sources on a broader, related topic (ex: hiking AND central Florida instead of hiking AND DeLand) |
| Too many search terms- begin with 1-2 search terms that best represent your topic, then add more as needed. Avoid long phrases. |
| Too many search filters- avoid using any filters that are unnecessary |
| Choice of database- select a database with a broader scope of subject matter |
| Use wildcard & truncation symbols- *, #, ? Allow you to search for multiple spellings of a term |
Chart taken from Honors College Co-Curricular Workshops LibGuide, Lone Star College Library, Kingwood, TX