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POLS 270
Introduction to Political Economy [an error occurred while processing this directive][an error occurred while processing this directive]
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Search Toolkit
Introduction
What is a database?
Searching databases effectively
Choosing keywords
Subject searching
Combining ideas
Searching for phrases
Truncation and wildcards
How can I improve my search?
Managing your search results
See what you've learned
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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.

  

Definitions:

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

Wildcard: a symbol used to replace one letter within a word

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. ****

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©University of Washington Information Literacy Learning 2001 [an error occurred while processing this directive][an error occurred while processing this directive]
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