Special Characters
Here are some common methods for database searching.
Some databases may use different characters. Contact bis@library.illinois.edu for more help.
| Type | How To Use | Example |
| Quotation Marks | Use quotation marks to search an exact phrase. |
"medical marijuana" will search for the words together rather than separately.
|
| Truncation/Stemming | Searches variations of the same word. To do this, place an asterisk at the end of the word. |
teach* will search teach, teacher, teaching, teachable child* will search child, children, childhood, childcare |
| Wildcard | Place a question mark where more than one character could be used. |
col?r will search 'color' and 'colour' wom?n will search 'women' and 'woman' |
Need More Help?
Grainger Engineering Library Information Center's STEM Entrepreneurship & Business Services can assist you in getting started with these and other resources. If you have any questions, please e-mail bis@library.illinois.edu.
