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Rider University Library

MKT-260 (Greenberg, Fall 2025)

Search Rules

1. Phrase search: Use " " to keep two or more words together as a phrase

  • "air quality"
  • "extreme weather patterns"

2. Truncation: *   Most databases use the asterisk ( * ) to search variation of word endings

  • Pesticide* - pesticde, pesticides
  • school* -school, schools, schooled, schooling, schoology, schoolbag, schoolchild, schoolmate, schoolmaster, schoolboy, schoolmistress, schoolgirl...

3. Boolean Operators (Video)

AND-reduced your search results by adding different concepts

  • "chemical spill" AND "Ohio River"
  • Ohio AND train AND chemical*

OR-increase your search results by adding similar concepts

  • Wind OR Solar OR Nuclear OR Geothermal OR Hydropower 
  • Female* OR lad* OR girl* Or wom?n

Not-eliminate a concept

  • "toxic chemicals" not chlorine
  • insurance not "life insurance"

4. User Brackets for Logical Execution of Your Search Statement

  • "population growth" AND (garbagge OR waste*)
  • "water quality" AND pesticide* AND contamination

  • Earth AND Resources AND (extinction* OR limitation*)

 

5. Search statement is not case sensitive

  • Bill Clinton=bill clinton
  • Walmart=walmart

6. Stop words-Do not use stop words unless in quotes

in, off, of, out, forward, the, or, and, up, etc.