Using Boolean Operators
AND only returns search results that contain both keywords - A search for "amphibian" AND "pollution" includes only results that contain both keywords
OR returns results that include either keyword - A search for "amphibian" OR "pollution" includes results with either of those keywords
NOT excludes one or more of your keywords - - A search for "amphibian" NOT "pollution" will include results that contain the keyword “amphibian” but not "pollution"
Combination Searching
It can also be helpful to combine Boolean Operators while searching. A sample search might be:
(Avian OR Bird) AND (Climate And Environment)
(Avian OR Bird) AND (Climate AND Environment) will select articles about "avians", "birds", and "avians or birds", which is the broad search. (Climate AND Environment) will select articles about "climate and environment" together, but not on their own as well. By searching these together, the results will include anything about birds, avians, avians or birds, but only those articles which also include climate and environment as other topics/keywords.
Tips for Searching in Web of Science Core Collection
Web of Science Core Collection has a lot of features to make narrowing your search and finding similar documents easier for you. Here are a few of them:
From main search page:
- Under Timespan, narrow the date range
- Add another search term
From search results page:
- Narrow your results by CATEGORY, DOCUMENT TYPE, AUTHOR, etc.
From article records page:
- View the Author-supplied Keywords or Keyword Plus - use those terms in your search
- Click on View Related Records
- View Cited References and to read abstracts or download articles from the bibliography
- View Times Cited to read abstracts or download articles that cited the article of interest
Additional Search Tips
If you’re coming up with too few or too many results, try these tips!
Too Few Results:
• Shorten a word to its root (truncate) and add an asterisk (*) (ex: search for pollut* would include the words pollute, pollution, pollutants...
• Use OR instead of AND between keywords
Too Many Results:
• Use AND between keywords
• Use NOT to exclude keywords
How to Access Full-Text
When searching for journal articles, you will notice the View Now button on many of your search results. Clicking on the View Now button will lead you to links for the full-text of the article or let you know that we do not have electronic full-text for that article.
If the full-text is not available, you can search InfoKat Discovery - Library Catalog for a hardcopy of the article or request an interlibrary loan (ILL), if needed.
Additional information about View Now
Having trouble? Ask Us for help.
Searching By Book or Journal Title
- To find an e-journal by title, search the E-JOURNALS tab on the UK Libraries' homepage. To find an e-book by title, search InfoKat - Library Catalog
- For a print copy, search InfoKat - Library Catalog.
We don't have it??
Don't worry! You can request a copy through Interlibrary Loan.
Locating Journal Articles
ILL
For materials that UK does not own, Interlibrary Loan is a great service for students to be familiar with. This short clip about Interlibrary Loan explains what ILL is and how to request materials using it.
Recommended For: Students
How to Use: Right click and choose Save Picture As.
