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FYW: Beer & Society: Background
Search Tools & Tutorials
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Not finding enough on your topic? Not finding anything on your topic? Are you using the best keywords and concepts to describe what you're looking for? Brainstorming the different words and phrases used to describe your topic is one the most helpful things you can do to start your research. It gets you really thinking about your topic and the ways it can be approached. Want to make your searching even better AND faster? Check out these short videos below. |
| cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by andymangold |
- Boolean OperatorsHow to use Boolean Operators to improve your search. (2:20)
- NestingHow to use nesting to group keywords to keep your results relevant. (0:41)
- TruncationTired of trying to think of all the many ways to say the same word? Truncate it! (0:33)
- WildcardsLearn how to use wildcards for better searching, especially in international literature. (0:26)
Online Encyclopedias
A good exercise to get to know your topic is to read articles on it from a few different types of encyclopedias. You might start by searching for information in a general encyclopedia like Encyclopedia Britannica.
Next, compare the depth and quality to what you find in specialized encyclopedias such as those found in the Gale eBooks database.
Also check out the Reference List or Works Cited in each article for more information on topic.
Find More
Find more background sources in the catalog by adding your keyword(s) to this reference-specific search: