Keyword -- all fields

When you search by keyword, each database record is checked for the presence of the word or words you specify. A record will be retrieved if the words appear in almost any part (or "field") of the record, including the title, subtitle, author, publishing information, and subject fields. In contrast, when you search by subject, a record will only be retrieved if your search words appear in the subject fields of that record.

Keyword searches are useful when you do not know the authorized subject heading for your subject, or when you have incomplete or complex information about a title or author.

Keyword searches can retrieve large result sets. Several tools are available to help you refine your search and retrieve more meaningful results, including Boolean searching, Search Limits, truncation, parentheses, and keyword searching by command.

Search Strategies:

• Use ? at the end of a search word to truncate your search: e.g., ecol? will search for ecology, ecological, etc.
• Enclose exact search phrases in quotation marks: e.g., "middle ages". Truncation may be included within quoted phrases: e.g., "british theat?" will search for British theater and also British theatre.
• Include any omitted articles:
  • lenfant will retrieve l'enfant
  • enfant will not retrieve l'enfant
  • enfant will retrieve mon enfant
• Combine several terms using Boolean operators : and, or, or not. (See table below.)
• Use parentheses (   ) to further refine a Boolean search: e.g., to find materials on Mayan pyramids or temples, enter (temple? or pyramid?) and maya?
• You can combine several Boolean operators in a single search statement, using parentheses to group concepts together and quotation marks to indicate phrases.  For example, to find oral history materials on the Anishinabe people, who are sometimes called Ojibwe, Ojibwa or Chippewa, or spelled Anishinaabe or Anishinabeg, try:

(Chippewa or Ojibw? or Anishina?) and "oral history"