Background Information & Keywords-3

Background information

To search effectively, you need to know a little about your topic.  Get oriented to your topic by gathering background information and identifying keywords.  Keywords can include specialized terms, people, events, or organizations:

  • Pathologies
  • Treatments or technologies
  • Populations (e.g. women, seniors, immigrants, Asian-American)
  • Organizations & institutions (e.g. the CDC or the Mayo Clinic)

Start with your textbook and class notes.  Then try these sources to get some basic background information on your topic:

Keyword Searching

Once you have identified relevant keywords for your topic, use these tricks to combine them for better search results.

To limit your results, use the AND

Venn diagram with 2 overlapping circles. Blue circle says Breast Cancer. Yellow circle says Ultrasound. Green overlap says AND. 

To expand your results, use the OR

Venn diagram with 2 overlapping circles. Blue circle says cancer. Another blue circle says tumor. Entire area labeled OR. 

To search for an exact phrase, use "QUOTES"

Advanced search showing ultrasound OR mammogram AND "breast cancer" AND screening