Search Strategies & Boolean Operators
This three-letter Boolean operator narrows a search by requiring all search terms to be included in the results.
What is AND
This letter in the CRAAP test checks when an article was published or last updated.
What is Currency or Current?
A diary, original photograph, or handwritten letter from a historical event is this type of source.
What is a primary source?
Placing these punctuation marks around a search term forces a database to search for the exact words together in order.
What> are quotation marks
In the SIFT method for source evaluation, the letter I stands for this three-word action.
What is Investigate the source?
A textbook or documentary that analyzes, summarizes, or interprets original historical events.
What is a secondary source?
This Boolean operator broadens a search to include synonyms or alternative terms, such as teens ___ adolescents.
What is OR?
A preference, prejudice, or personal viewpoint that prevents an author from being completely neutral or objective.
What is bias?
A digital, curated collection of published articles, ebooks, and encyclopedia entries provided through a school library subscription.
What is an online database?
This symbol or operator is used to exclude specific words or concepts from search results (e.g., jaguar ___ car).
What is NOT (or minus)?
Top-level domain that stands for "commercial," which generally requires more scrutiny than academic (.edu) or government (.gov) extensions.
What is .com?
An online source that can be edited by anyone in the general public, making it great for background reading but not suitable as a final cited academic source.
What is an open-wiki or Wikipedia?
The technique of using a root word followed by an asterisk (e.g., educat*) to find multiple word endings like education, educator, or educating.
What is truncation or wildcard searching?
The practice of leaving a website to open new tabs and see what other independent sources say about that website or author.
What is lateral reading
A source created long after an event that indexes, lists, or collects primary and secondary sources, such as a bibliography, almanac, or directory.
What is a tertiary source?