Phrase searching
What is it / what does it do?
- Retrieves two or more words only when they appear next
to each other as a phrase, eg: higher education, study
skills.
Why should I use it?
- Using the phrase search option will narrow your search and the
records retrieved should be more relevant.
How do I do it?
- the search tool might have a phrase search option
(Emerald);
- or it might automatically search for words next to each other
as a phrase (EBSCO);
- use quotation marks around the phrase as follows:
"higher education" (AcademicOneFile)
NB: Use phrase searching with
care: searching for a phrase could also eliminate useful records.
For example, a search for "language teaching" would not find the
words "teaching of language".
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