How to Search for a Phrase in a Database
by Rachel Walters on 2023-04-24T00:00:00-04:00 in Databases | 0 Comments
How to Search for a Phrase in a Database
Use Phrase Searching to narrow your search or search for a specific phrase in a database.
Phrase Searching
When you search databases by default, the database searches your terms as individual words and many of your results could be irrelevant.
For example, searching for business time management:
- The word business could be in the title
- The word time could be on line 20 of the article
- The word management could be on line 200 of the article.
With Phrase Searching, you use quotation marks (" ") around a phrase when your search terms must be kept together in that exact order. This forces the database to search for your terms as a phrase, not individual words.
For example, searching for "business time management" tells the database to limit results to articles that use these three words in this exact order. The results will be more relevant with Phrase Searching.
Here are some more examples of Phrase Searching.
| intelligent design | "intelligent design" |
| health care reform | "health care reform" |
| green jobs AND landscaping | "green jobs" AND landscaping |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | "to kill a mockingbird" |
If you have trouble finding exactly what you are looking for or are overwhelmed with irrelevant results, try Phrase Searching!
When you get stuck or have research questions, remember that OCLS is here to help guide you through searching databases to find articles for your assignments. Visit the Personalized Search Plans page for more information on a Personalized Search Plan (PSP) and how to request one.
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