Leadership Subject Resources Guide
- Leadership Subject GuideThis subject-specific guide has resources for the leadership department.
- Education Subject GuideThis guide has many other resources that could assist you with your research.
- Library Instruction Minute PaperOnline survey for instruction taught by a librarian.
Boolean Operators
- QuickSearch This link opens in a new window
QuickSearch combines results from many search tools for you to review in one list. Results come from the Wright State catalog and hundreds of library databases including all of our Ebscohost databases, JSTOR, the Web of Science, and others.
- Tips for Database SearchingThis page offers advice on how to control your search for the best results
- Using Boolean Operators as a way to narrow or broaden your search:
AND: use to combine different concepts or keywords; each result will contain all search terms
Example: accessibility AND education
OR: use to connect similar concepts or keywords; each result will contain at least one of the search terms
Example: teach OR educate
Quotation Marks " ": place around phrases to search for words in that exact order or with that exact spelling
Example: "employee morale"
Parentheses ( ): place around related terms to search for more than one group of keywords
Example: (teach OR educate) AND accessibility
Asterisk *: use at the end of a keyword to search words that start with the same letters
Example: libraries AND (teach* OR educat*)
Choose Topic and Create Research Question
Video used with permission from NCSU under Creative Commons 3.0 BY-NC-SA US license
Identifying Keywords
Before you can begin searching for information in a print or online resource, you need to identify keywords related to your topic. Key terminology can be found easily by scanning:
- Your initial research questions,
- Encyclopedia and other articles used when conducting background research,
- Bibliographies found at the end of books and articles.
If you are still struggling, then try these suggestions:
- Use a thesaurus to identify synonyms.
- Find pictures related to your topic, then describe the picture.
- Brainstorm keywords with a librarian, your instructor, or a friend.
