Search and find - tips for effective media research

What you have to do

1. Getting started with search terms

   The most important start to an essential search is a good definition of the search terms.

   • The quality of your search results will depend on this.

      

   • First create a word list with relevant search terms. Search for External link opens in a new window:synonyms, related terms and External link opens in a new window:generic and subordinate terms. Also search for the correct English translation of the technical terms (e.g. External link opens in a new window:dict.cc or External link opens in a new window:Linguee).
     You can also find dictionaries in the reference collection of the libraries, e.g. External link opens in a new window:Ernst, Richard: Wörterbuch der industriellen Technik.

   • English is the language of science and academia.

      

   • There are various ways to create word lists:

      

     By using thesauri
     The following thesauri for different subjects are available:
     Standardthesaurus Wirtschaft
     External link opens in a new window:Psyndex Psychologie
     Mesh Medizin
     OpenThesaurus

      

     The use of subject lexica
     Subject lexika in print can be found in the reading rooms, or digitally in the BOSS search portal.

     Browse through documents you have already found
     Expand your list of key terms using literature you have already found. Use the terms and keywords you find there.

2. Wildcards: truncation and masking

   Search for a word stem and use a truncation mark so that the different word endings are also taken into account.
   Example: Sozial* also searches for Soziales, -amt, -wissenschaft

   You can also use a wildcard in the middle of a word if the spelling is unclear (masking).
   Example: Gra*ik searches for Grafik and Graphik

   • The wildcard symbols will vary according to the search tool you are using. Use the help page to find out what symbol to use.

3. Boolean operators

   Boolean operators enable the linking of search terms:

   "and"    usually results in fewer but more relevant hits by combining various terms (items containing both words will be searched for)
   "or"       broadens your search, e.g. by using synonyms (items containing either or both words will be searched for)
   "not"     limits the search to a particular topic (items containing the keyword will not be retrieved)

4. Phrase search

   You already know which book or article title you need? You can use the phrase search to find the book or article title by entering the exact title in quotation marks.

   Example: "Numerics in mechanical engineering"

5. Keyword and key terms search

   Searching for a keyword (Stichwort) only returns hits in which the search term appears in the title. Searching for key terms (Schlagwort) returns hits on a specific topic.

   A keyword describes the content of a medium, regardless of title and language. The two search methods lead to different sets of hits.

6. Filters and limiters

   You can use filters to further limit your search results.
   For example, you can limit your results in the BOSS the BOSS search portal by location or restrict them to e-books.

   • The use of filters should be very carefully considered so that important search results are not filtered out.

Problems or questions?