Search smarter

With thousands of resources available, finding the perfect article or book for your assignment can feel overwhelming. Luckily, ACU Library has plenty of tips for smart searching.

Our search smarter guide tells you how to make the most of your research by weeding out what you don’t need and including more of what you do. Here is an overview:

1. Start broad, then narrow down. Use keywords and phrases to begin, then add more specific terms to refine your results.
2. Use boolean operators. Use "AND" to combine terms, "OR" to include synonyms, and "NOT" to exclude terms.
3. Use truncation and wildcards. Use * to find variations of a word (for example, educat* finds educate, education) and ? to substitute a single character (for example, organi?ation finds both organization and organisation).
4. Use quotation marks for exact phrases. Put phrases in quotation marks to search for them exactly as written (for example, "climate change").
5. Filter your results. Use the filters on the left side of the screen to narrow your search by date, format, subject, and more.
6. Check related items. Once you find a useful resource, look at the subject headings and keywords to find similar items.

If you are struggling to put together a strong reference list, our librarians can help. Harness their expertise by reaching out via chat, email or in person. You can also book an online appointment with a librarian, who will provide you with support tailored to your research needs.