Truncation is a valuable search technique that allows you to find variations of a word with different endings. Typically represented by an asterisk (*) at the point where the word’s spelling could change, truncation broadens your search to include all possible endings of a word.
For example, searching for “PTSD AND music*” would retrieve articles containing terms such as music, musical, musician, musicians, or musicality. This method is particularly helpful when you’re aware that one of your search terms has multiple endings, all of which convey essentially the same idea.
By employing truncation, you can streamline your search process significantly. Instead of manually typing and searching for each variation of a word, truncation enables you to capture all relevant variations in a single search query. This not only saves time but also ensures that you don’t overlook any pertinent information related to your research topic.
Wildcard symbols
Wildcard symbols are powerful tools that can enhance your search capabilities in various databases like EBSCOHost and ProQuest. These symbols allow for greater flexibility and precision in constructing search strings to retrieve relevant information.
The most commonly used wildcard symbols include:
- Asterisk wildcard (*) – This symbol is used to represent zero or more characters within a word. It is particularly useful for capturing variations of a word’s spelling or for searching for multiple words with the same root. For example, searching for “responsibility * budgeting” could yield results such as “responsibility-centered budgeting” or “responsibility center budgeting.”
- Question mark wildcard (?) – This symbol is used to replace a single unknown character within a word. It enables searches for terms with slight spelling variations or when the exact character is uncertain. For instance, searching for “wom?n” would retrieve results for both “women” and “woman.”
By leveraging wildcard symbols, researchers can expand the scope of their searches and retrieve a broader range of relevant documents. These symbols offer a flexible approach to search queries, accommodating variations in spelling and unknown characters.
For more detailed information on using wildcard symbols in specific databases, you can refer to the following resources:
- EBSCOHost Wildcard and Truncation Symbols: [Link]
- Gale Academic OneFile Wildcard Characters: [Link]
- ProQuest Wildcards and Truncation: [Link]
Exploring these resources will provide you with insights into how wildcard symbols can be effectively utilized to optimize your database searches.
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