A search sentence is the string of terms you are going to enter into the search box on whatever discovery tool you choose to use, whether it be a library catalogue, a academic database or an internet search engine. Getting this right can greatly improve your results and make it easier for you to find the information you need.
The following videos and guides will take you through the process of developing a search sentence and putting it into action
The first part of developing your search sentence is coming up with your keywords, the search terms that you are using to tell the discovery tool what you want it to find for you. These form the basis of your search sentence and getting them right will have a really positive impact upon the relevance of your results. The below video will introduce you to what keywords are, why they are important and how to come up with them:
We have also produced a PDF guide of the information contained within this video which can be accessed via the link below:
The next step in developing your search sentence is thinking about how you are going to connect your keywords to describe their relationship to each other to the search tool. Effective use of these connecting terms will enable you to either expand or refine your search, ensuring that you include all available materials whilst also focussing on your particular area of interest. The below video will introduce the different search connectors, explain what they do and demonstrate how to add them into your search sentence:
We have also produced a PDF guide of the information contained within this video which can be accessed via the link below:
So, we've now got our keywords selected and know how we're going to connect them but there are a few other tips which can make a big difference in how effective your search is, especially when using academic search tools. The below video will introduce you to grouping terms, phrase searching and truncations, explaining what effect they have on your results and demonstrating how to include them in your search sentence:
We have also produced a PDF guide of the information contained within this video which can be accessed via the link below:
Developing an effective search sentence is only part of producing a useful set of results from your search tool. You will also want to use the variety of limiters, which are often built into the search tools, to further refine your results and again increase the relevance and usefulness of those you are presented with. You will want to consider which of these you are going to use as part of developing your search strategy. The below video will introduce you to the limiters that are most commonly available within search tools, what impact they have upon your results, and demonstrate how to put them into action:
We have also produced a PDF guide of the information contained within this video which can be accessed via the link below: