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Searching and finding: How to locate a source

Part of the Information Literacy Portal

Infoclip searching

Source: NCSU Libraries

Search tools

The  Zuyd Library Website is an excellent starting point for your query. 
For serious research it’s important to use in-depth information.
The library website provides access to this kind of information.

Zuyd Library Search Tools

Searching the internet

Search techniques

Simply typing words in a search engine or database, will always give you a lot of results. If you want to do thorough literature research, this search method will not be enough. By using the search terms in a certain way or by combining search terms, you get a much better result.
You can use the following techniques for this:

  • Boolean operators
  • Phrase search (Exact word combination)
  • Trunk and Mask
  • Advanced search

Search methods

The easiest way to start a search is to just type in some search terms related to your topic and see what you discover. You will undoubtedly find useful information, but there are other and better search methods.

The most common search methods:

  • Best match method / quick & dirty
  • Pearl growth method
  • Building stone method
  • Snowball method
  • Search for citation

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