Keyword Searching in PsycInfo

Psychology 209, Spring 1998

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Logical Operators (AND, OR, NOT)
Positional Operators (SAME, ADJ, etc.)
Limiting by Field
Truncation

HELP FOR KEYWORD SEARCHES: LOGICAL OPERATORS


Use logical (also known as Boolean) operators to specify the relationship between search terms.

AND specifies that both terms must appear in the same database record

k=language and emergence

OR specifies that either or both terms appear in the same database record

k=planning or forecast?

NOT specifies that the first term but not the second appears in the same database record

k=sociology not marxist


HELP FOR KEYWORD SEARCHES: POSITIONAL OPERATORS

Use a positional operator to specify proximity between search terms.

ADJ searches for terms that occur adjacent to each other in the order specified

k=attention adj deficit

NEAR searches for terms that occur adjacent to each other

k=blood near donor (finds 'donor blood' and 'blood donor' in either order

SAME searches for terms that occur in the same field

k=adoption same esteem

WITH searches for terms that occur in the same sentence

k=bilingual with family


HELP FOR KEYWORD SEARCHES: SUPERLABELS

When you use a superlabel in your search statement, a group of related fields within a database record is checked for your search term. Remember to use periods to enclose superlabels.

TO SEARCH: ENTER: EXAMPLE:
title fields only .ti. k=perception.ti.
subject fields only .su. k=development.su.
author fields only .au. k=duggan.au.
year of publication .py. k=1988.py.
source publication .so. k=cognition.so.


HELP FOR KEYWORD SEARCHES: TRUNCATION

Use truncation (?):

A number placed after the ? specifies how many characters may follow the stem.

k=theat?2 retrieves theatre or theater but not theatrical

k=system?1 retrieves system or systems but not systematic


Return to Psyc 209 Research Guide

Problems with searching PsycInfo? Contact the Olin*Kroch*Uris Reference Desk, okuref@cornell.edu

February 9, 1998
Mary Ochs
Reference Services Division, Olin*Kroch*Uris Libraries
Cornell University Library
Olin and Uris Libraries, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853
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