Keyword searching can be a great way to just jump in and get a list of results right away. The important thing to remember is that it is not always the best method for doing comprehensive research. If you have questions about what to type into a database search box, ask a librarian for suggestions!
Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase.
- “occupational therapy”
- “quality of life”
- “range of motion”
- “activities of daily living”
Use an asterisk to search for multiple forms of a word.
- occupation* will find occupation, occupations, occupational, etc.
Use AND or OR to connect search terms and phrases.
- To search for ALL of the words or phrases: “range of motion” AND hip
- To search for EITHER of the words or phrases: “quality of life” OR QOL
Use parentheses to group synonyms.
- (“quality of life” OR QOL)
- (“occupational therapy” OR OT OR occupation*)
Putting it all together . . .
- (“quality of life” OR QOL) AND (“occupational therapy” OR OT OR occupation*) AND cancer
Once you have a list of citations and articles in a results list . . .
Use the database filters to focus your results.
- Source type: Academic Journals, Peer Reviewed, Scholarly, etc.
- Publication date: Limit to the past 5 years
- Subject terms: Look for new words and phrases - then search again!
