Introduction to Searching | Library | University of Waterloo

Some Points to Keep in Mind

Successful searching of computer databases depends heavily on:

familiarity with the topic you are looking for
strategy development
familiarity with the contents and format of the database and with the search and display commands (covered in many of our guides and cribsheets)
recognition that the computer only searches for words and character strings, not for "meanings"
being able to break your question into component parts that are easily searched
recognition that in most computer searches "close" does not count. You will rarely get a hint that you could have found more or better material

A computer search does not find everything in one pass - it is a starting point; so do your literature search early. References retrieved may not always be available locally, so do the search allowing enough time for Interlibrary Loans to get material for you.

June 20, 2005

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Last Updated: October 7, 2004

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Some Points to Keep in Mind