Search Selected Access Tools

Search statements and syntax

Writing effective search statements is a two-part process.

1. Identify the correct relationships between the concepts that comprise your topic.
2. Translate those relationships into the syntax required by the search software for the access tool.

Concept tables help you identify the relationships between the primary and secondary concepts. These relationships are:

• Relationships that narrow a topic
• Relationships that broaden a topic or an aspect of it
• Relationships that exclude an aspect of a topic

These relationships are expressed in search statements through the use of a special syntax. Search syntax is the formal language that tells the searching software what operations are to be performed on the words adjacent to these language elements. The four main elements of this language are:

• Boolean operators
• Proximity operators
• Truncation
• Wildcards

First, let's examine these relationships and the syntax language elements that express these relationships. Then we will use the elements to construct an effective search statement.

Introduction
Identify Key Concepts
Search Access Tools
Print Access Tools
Online Access Tools
Analyze Results
Revise Search
Other Strategies
End of Module