Try These SEARCH TIPS!

AND: it finds articles that contain both terms. Example: coral AND fish. All results with have both coral AND fish

OR: it combines search terms so that each search result contains at least one of the terms. For example, fish OR plant would result in either term being found in the results list.

Asterisk (*) : truncation (*) symbols find all forms of that word. Place the asterisk (*) at the end of a keyword word. Example: educat* will produce results that include the words education, educator, educated, etc.

Quotation marks " " : use " " (quotation marks) to search for a phrase. Example: "solitary cup coral" and "small feathery black coral."

Library databases are different from search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing etc.

 You cannot type in a question into Library databases and receive an answer (s) in a list of search results.

 Library databases are keyword driven.  Meaning they search for keywords to locate the information you are looking for. 
Below is a suggested list of keywords you can use as you search the QVCC Library catalog on various topics about or related to 

• Coral reefs
• Coral reef
  Coral reef biology
• Coral bleaching
• Coral reef conservation
• Coral reef ecology
• Coral reef fishes 
• Coral reefs  and  islands
• Coral reef management
• Environmental protection  AND Coral reef
• Marine Biology
• Marine ecology
• Marine organisms
• Reefs

1. Isolate your KEYWORDS.
   • "global warming AND coral reefs" is an example of combined keywords.  Adding "AND" or "OR" to broaden or narrow your search is called a boolean search.
   • "What impact does global warming have on coral reefs" is a question and not a keyword search.  Questions are less effective for finding the most relevant sources.
2. Consider SYNONYMS of your keywords.
   • "Climate change", "greenhouse effect", and "Great Barrier Reef" are examples of synonyms.  Remember, you can always combine keywords with a boolean search.  "Climate change OR global warming AND coral reefs" broadens the search to include both synonyms.
3. Search using DIFFERENT or RELATED terms.  You may need to read an article or two to determine related terms.
   • "Coral bleaching", "national oceanic and atmospheric administration", or "ocean acidification" are related terms that may target the questions you have about your topic more accurately.

Source: https://wfbschools.libguides.com/c.php?g=609955&p=4234494

If you are just starting your research process, or if you are trying to narrow down your topic a reference database is a good place to start.

These databases are great to use for general searches to find high quality content. Consider also using some of the more precise databases if you are searching for a particular topic.