By Dana Longley, assistant director for Library Instruction and Info Literacy

Want to get the best results when searching the library (or the web)? Here are some quick tips to help you get the most relevant results:

1. Terminology: There is often a gap between the words we have in our heads when thinking about a topic (e.g. ethical issues in the Human Services) and those used by scholars when writing about the topic in the literature (e.g. social work, counseling, case management, public health, privacy, confidentiality, self-determination, etc.). To bridge this gap and get an understanding about the historical context and scope of your topic, it's often beneficial to spend a little time doing a quick read (such as a Wikipedia article) so you can search for sources armed with the proper terms and write about it more effectively.
2. Put double quotes around common-use exact phrases of two or more words. When you have a commonly used phrase (such as Black Lives Matter, or opioid epidemic), you can make sure to return results that contain only that exact phrase by enclosing it in double quotes (e.g.: "Black Lives Matter" or "opioid epidemic"). Just be careful not to put too much inside the quotes or  you might miss out on good results.
3. Only type in words that represent your main concepts. For example, if my topic is What impacts does climate change have on penguin habitats? I could try searches like these:
• "climate change" penguins
• "global warming" "penguin habitat"

Lastly, always remember that for help with anything library-related, never hesitate to go to the SUNY Empire State College Online Library and use the 24/7 live chat box on the right side. We're here to help!