Acting, Dance, and Performing Arts: Databases, Industry Sources & Reviews

Search connectors are words and/or symbols that affect how your search terms or keywords are processed by a database or search engine. Search connectors are especially helpful when search results are too few or too many. You can use these terms and connectors in ECU Library search as well as databases. 

Please not that not all databases use the same symbol so it's worth visiting the Help section in that database. Check out the tip sheets under Key Education Databases for further guidance.

Phrase searching

Placing quotation marks "" around two or more words will result in them being searched as a phrase instead of as individual words. This will yield fewer, but more relevant results. For example, searching education resources in ECU Library search returns over 1.6 million results, while searching "education resources" returns about 28,000. 

Truncation symbols

A truncation symbol (* or !) is used to search for words that begin with the same letters but have different endings. You can use these symbols to speed up your search process. For example, searching educat* will retrieve results including, education, educating, educate, educated, educator, etc.

Wildcard symbols

Wildcard symbols (* or ? or #) operate in a similar way to truncation symbols, except that they are used within a word instead of at the end. These symbols can be useful when searching for both American and English spelling. For example, searching behav?r will retrieve behaviour and behavior. Wildcard symbols can also be useful when searching for both the singular and the plural. For example, searching wom?n will retrieve woman and women. 

Boolean Operators

The Boolean Operators are AND, OR, and NOT, they represent a relationship between two search terms. They refine your search to either reduce or expand the number of results you retrieve. Many databases will place these within their advanced search. 

AND – use AND when you want both search terms to appear in the results.

teach AND drama

OR – use OR when you want one term or another, or both, to appear within the results.

drama OR theatre 

NOT – use NOT when you want one search term to appear within the results but the other not to appear

secondary NOT primary 

Combine them all together (group each part together in (parenthesis)):

(teach OR education) AND (drama OR theatre OR theater) NOT (primary OR secondary)

• It is best to avoid searching for long phrases or full citations when conducting research. This is because such phrases contain so many words that the database may struggle to prioritise your results. Instead, try typing just a few words into the search box that represent the main concepts from your research topic.
• When choosing keywords, make sure to pick right terms to describe your topic. Databases look for the exact words and phrases you type in, so it is important to choose your keywords wisely. Always check your spelling before submitting your search.
• Databases search for exactly what you type, so spelling errors could lead to inaccurate results.
• If you are searching for a title or quotation, remove any punctuation for the best results. It may seem strange, but too many periods, commas, colons, etc. can confuse the database.
• When searching for books, you may need to use broader keywords as books tend to be written on broad subjects. However, they may include chapters on specific topics. Once you have found a book on a broader version of your topic, search inside it for information about your more specific topic.
• When searching for articles, you may need to use narrower keywords as articles typically cover narrow topics.
• Choosing the right database is crucial. The Library Search box is a good place to start, but if you have a very specific topic, you might need to search a subject database. Find recommended/key databases in your Subject Guide.
• If you are ever unsure about how to proceed with your research, don't hesitate to ask a librarian for help.