GEOG 100

Introduction to Geography

	Improving your database searching
	Searching databases effectively
	Choosing key words
	Subject searching
	Combining Ideas
	Searching for Phrases
	Truncation and Wildcards
	How can I improve my search?
	Using your search results
	See what you've learned

Truncation and Wildcards

Here is another useful search tip:

Use truncation symbols and wildcards to search for variant forms of words: for example, singular and plural, or words ending in "ing".

Common truncation symbols and wildcards are: ! ? * $

Most periodical databases use the asterisk * for truncation.

Examples:

If you type wom*n, the database will find the words woman, women, or womyn.

If you type in travel*, the database will find the words travel, travels, traveling, etc.

***Be careful when using truncation! If you type in cat*, for example, the database will find the words cat, cats, catch, category, etc. ****

Definitions:

Truncation symbol: a symbol used to replace letters at the ends of words

Wildcard: a symbol used to replace letters within words