LibGuides: Library Tutorials: UC Search Guidelines

UC Search Tutorial

UC Search: Research Skills

Find books, ebooks, media, and articles in one place. Try a broad search, then refine with filters.

Example search bar (for demonstration)

1) Start broad

Enter keywords (not full sentences). Try synonyms: "nursing leadership", "clinical supervision", "healthcare management".

2) Refine with filters

Limit by Format (Books, Articles...), Date, Peer-reviewed, Subject, and Availability.

3) Evaluate & access

Open the record. Check Subjects for new terms. Use Full Text or Call Number to get item.

Smart tips

Break your topic into 2-3 keywords or subjects
Try fewer words first; if results are too broad, add a keyword/filter. If too narrow, remove a keyword/filter.
For online students, use Available online (Full-Text) filter
Use the Resource Type filter to switch between books, articles, videos, etc.
Stuck? Click related subjects in a record to pivot your search.
To ask questions in natural language, try the new Research Assistant

Boolean, truncation, wildcard & field searching

AND: narrows results (example: leadership AND nursing)
OR: broadens results (example: nursing OR healthcare)
NOT: excludes results (example: nursing NOT pediatrics)
Phrase search (quotes): "nursing leadership"
Truncation (*, 3+ letters before *): nurs* → nurse, nurses, nursing
Wildcard single-char (#, 3+ letters before): wom#n → woman, women
Wildcard multi-char (?, 0–9 chars): encyclop?dia → encyclopedia, encyclopaedia
Note: Wildcards/truncation don’t work inside quotes.
Field labels: two letters + : (words anywhere) or = (exact phrase). Examples: ti:"nursing leadership" or ti="nursing leadership"; au:(Smith); su:(leadership).

Advanced search (when you need precision)

Use multiple rows to combine terms by Title (ti:/ti=), Subject (su:/su=), or Author (au:/au=).
Set a Date range (e.g., last 5 years). Start with one required concept per row.

Finding full text or a physical book

For ebooks/articles, use the Full Text link.
For print, filter to Held by Library, note the Call Number and Location, then visit the library.

Cite, save, and share

Sign in to view Loans, Requests, Saved Items, and Search History.
Use Add or Pin to collect items.
Click Citation in item record and choose citation style. Remember to check citations for accuracy before including them in your work.