Reviewing your search results

Once you have completed your search you may find that you have retrieved too many or too few results. Consider refining your search strategy.

Useful techniques include:

Too many results

Too few results

Use search terms and descriptors used by the database

Combine search terms using boolean operators

Apply limits to the current search results

Search in the thesaurus for broader subject terms or look for related terms

Review limits applied to search

Use wildcards to identify variant spellings and word forms

Use truncation to search on the stem of the word

Use the boolean operator OR to broaden your search

by Sydney Uni Library