Search Strategies Planning your search will enable you to make more effective use of electronic databases and to retrieve material which is comprehensive and relevant. Databases vary in their subject content and search interface, but the general principles of searching for information apply to all databases.
Most databases contain very large amounts of information.
To retrieve material on your topic you will need to be clear about the search terms you use because computer systems will only retrieve materials which match what you type in. The essence of a successful search strategy is to match the words or terms which you have in mind with those used within the database. Describing your topic Identifying keywords and concepts Combining keywords or search terms to create a search statement You will need to evaluate the information you find in light of its relevance and quality. Depending on this evaluation of your search results, you may need to revise or modify your search strategy . There are various techniques to do this, including identifying related terms and synonyms using a thesaurus, broadening or narrowing your search, and limiting your search to particular fields such as author, subject or journal title.