Phrase Searching - PittCat allows for phrase searching with the use of “ “. For example, the search "climate change" will find items with the phrase climate change in them.
Wildcard and Truncation – You can use wildcards (* and ?) symbols to search PittCat.
Advanced Searching - Check the Advanced Search for more tips and techniques to enhance your search, including Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT). Note: Boolean Operators must be entered in all uppercase/capital letters.
Searching the root of a word without specifying a particular ending is one way to find variations on a word that relate to the same core concept without searching each word separately.
Some databases automatically search terms for singular, plural, and various other endings.
Some databases use a truncation symbol to indicate that any ending is acceptable after exactly matching the letters entered.
The actual symbol used will vary among databases. The asterisk (*) is most common, but some use a ? or other symbol, so check your database.
The search terms or keywords you use to search are what determine the results you get. Here's a good exercise to help you generate keywords:
1. Express your topic in a topic sentence: "What is the effect of water pollution on freshwater amphibian populations?"
2. Generate keyword search terms by identifying the main ideas or concepts within the topic sentence: "What is the effect of water pollution on freshwater amphibian populations?" --> effect, pollution, freshwater, amphibian
3. Expand your search terms by brainstorming related terms or synonyms that describe your main ideas:
Searching for exact phrases instead of individual words can focus your search so that more results are directly relevant to your topic. Different databases and search engines accomplish this in different ways. Two common ones are:
Remember: Exact phrase searches can focus your results, but they can also miss some relevant results. Searching the phrase "Atlantic coastal wetlands" will not find wetlands of the Atlantic coast or coastal wetlands of North Carolina, both of which are relevant.
You can create complex search strategies by combining keywords using the linking words AND, OR, and NOT. For example, if your search terms are biodiversity and wetlands: