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Database Searching

This LibGuide is meant to illustrate database structure and how to search databases according to their design. This LibGuide is meant to be directed toward searching Medical and Life Sciences databases.

Keywords

Keywords

Natural language is another way to say keywords. When we are searching with keywords, we are using the language that is commonly used to describe things. Searching with keywords expands the search because you can include synonymous or narrower terms for broad concepts. You can also specify what fields to search using your keyword(s). 

Since keywords have a wide variation due to different spellings of the same word, multiple synonyms for a single concept, and acronyms for concepts; generating keywords can be a lengthy process.

Generating Keywords

Determine what synonyms are true to the concepts in the research question. 

Are anti-smoking campaigns effective interventions for e-cigarette use among high school students?

Keywords listed here are not exhaustive 

Concept 1: anti-smoking campaigns

Some keywords may include:

  • "anti-smoking campaign*"
  • "antismoking campaign*"
  • "anti-vaping campaign*"
  • "antivaping campaign*" 
  • "anti-smoking program*"
  • "antismoking program*"
  • "anti-vaping program*"
  • "antivaping program*" 
  • "smoking preven*"
  • "smoking cessat*"
  • "vaping preven*"
  • "vaping cessat*"

Keyword terms can have different morphological forms for the same word, such as alternative spellings. Here the hyphenated (anti-smoking campaigns and anti-vaping campaigns) and unhyphenated (antismoking campaigns and antivaping campaigns) would be used in a search because the database distinguishes between the two. 

The keywords highlighted in pink are keywords generated by creating a mirrored keyword of the subject heading. In this case, the keywords higlighted in pink are mirrored keywords generated from MeSH headings. 

Syntax: in each concept, double quotes are used in this table around keyphrases. This is so that the database looks for these words in consecutive order. For example, if you want the word antismoking immediately in front of campaigns; you would need to type "antismoking campaign*"

*see note on truncation

Double quotes are typically used as the syntax for this; however, check the database documentation on proper syntax encoding for searching keyphrases.

Concept 2: e-cigarette

Some keywords may include:

  • "e-cig*"
  • ecig*
  • "electronic cigarette*"
  • vape
  • vapes
  • vaping
 Concept 2 displays morphological variation for the e-cigarettes concept similar to Concept 1. The asterisk is used in most database for truncation. Electronic cigarette* is also used to search because it is a true synonym of the concept. Use both acronyms, abbreviations, and the fully spelled out versions of keyword terms for searching. 

Concept 3: high school students

Some keywords may include: 

  • "high school student*"
  • adolescen*
  • minor
  • minors
  • teen*
  • youth*

Sometimes keywords may not look anything like the concept. However, those keywords listed here are true synonyms of the concept. High school students typically are in the age range between 14-18 years old. In this age range, they are legally-speaking minors. The last keyword, teen*, has an asterisk like keywords in concept 2 for truncation. The database will also retrieve results with teens and teenagers. 

 

Truncation

What is truncation?

Truncation should be used to search within a database because it accounts for word variability. It typically requires the use of a symbol to represent variation in word endings. For example in Concept 3, the keyword teen* is truncated at the end with an asterisk (*) to search for the terms: teen, teens, teenager, and teenagers. To truncate a word place the symbol where the word begins to change to account for various word endings. Truncation symbols can vary across databases.