What is phrase searching?
Last Updated: May 24, 2023     Views: 31

Answer

In general, searching in a database is best accomplished by using keywords, subject headings, or groups of terms.

However, sometimes it's better to use phrases. To tell a database to search for a specific phrase: type quotation marks (" ") around the phrase that you need to find. This will tell the database (or search engine -- this works in Google, too!) that you want it to find the words you typed exactly as you've typed them. Using quotations will provide you with a more narrowed search.

For example, compare these Summon searches:

Without quotation marks:  severe physical disabilities = 272,764 results

With quotation marks:  "severe physical disabilities" =  5,325 results