Maximizing Your Search Skills

Usually, when you want to start searching you have a question in mind.

If you type your question as a phrase into a database, you may receive very few results, or find that they are not relevant. This is because databases can process searches for keywords and subject headings much more easily than phrases. 

It's important then, to break your question down into concepts.

For example, imagine you have the following question to answer:

What is the typical recovery time that hockey players face after sustaining a head injury?

The major concepts are: recovery time, hockey and head injury

What is the typical recovery time that hockey players face after sustaining a head injury?

Searching these terms individually, and combining them after will give you much more relevant results.

But should you search head injury? Head trauma? Head wound? What term is best for each concept? Click onto the next tab "Build a List of Search Terms" to learn more.