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ESOL Education: C) Build and run initial search query

A one-stop-shop for finding books, journal articles, and more on ESOL education topics

(C) Build a search query in a database or catalog

Now that you have learned how to select keywords and key phrases, the next step is to know how to build a search query in one of your chosen library databases or catalogs.

Building a search query at its most basic means inputting your keywords and/or key phrases into the search fields of a database, catalog, or search engine.

Read the box to the right to learn how. 

How to build a simple search query using "exact phrase search" technique

How to build a simple search query in a database using quotation marks for "key phrases" where needed

 

  1. Have your table of key concepts in front of you. Eg. Anna has:
  Key Concept "A" Key Concept "B"

Key Concept "C"

 

social media

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Snapchat

 self-esteem

adolescents

teenagers

youth

 

 

  1. Go to GALILEO or a particular database, eg. Academic Search Complete, Research Library, etc.

 

  1. Go to the Advanced Search form, The Advanced Search form has more than one search field, usually two or three fields.
    • To find GALILEO's Advanced Search form from the Reese Library homepage, select GALILEO to open it in a new window. Select Advanced Search underneath the search bar.

 

  1. Pick one keyword / key phrase from each column, and input each of them in a different search field. For example, Andy inputs:
    • social media in the first search field
    • self-esteem in the second search field
    • adolescents in the third search field

 

  1. Leave the default drop-down to the left of each subsequent search field at AND.

AND is the default Boolean Operator, a command which directs the database how to search your keywords / key phrases. By leaving it at AND, the database will search for all of your keywords / key phrases, i.e. social media AND self-esteem AND adolescents.

 

  1. Place quotation marks around any key phrases, eg. "social media". This is the exact phrase search technique. Quotation marks around your key phrase tell the database that it is a phrase, otherwise, it does not know and will search for each word separately. Quotation marks force the database to search for the words in that order, so it will only retrieve sources that contain the phrase at least once. 

     

  2. If you thought of synonyms as Andy did, then combine them with the Boolean Operator OR.

Go to Step E(i) to learn how.

Otherwise, your search query, i.e. the string of keywords / key phrases with the Boolean Operators, is now ready to go. Select Search.

Example: Anna's basic search query in Academic Search Complete

 

Screenshot of a search query in Academic Search Complete database

Why place quotation marks around my key phrases?

As mentioned in the first tab, step 5 placing quotation marks around any key phrases, eg. "social media", tells GALILEO or an individual database those words are a phrase and forces the database to search for the words in that order. This is known as exact phrase searching. The database will retrieve sources that contain your key phrase at least once.

If you don't place quotation marks around your key phrase, the database doesn't know it is a key phrase and will search for each keyword individually. So if you search for social media without quotation marks you could find sources with the words social and media in different places, but not necessarily on social media.

Watch this video to learn more about phrase searching: