Our CINCH database lists hundreds of courses and programmes in the Christchurch area
Search tips
To access relevant information you need to search cleverly. The following tips are general, however each database will have its own specific features.
If your search is not producing the results you want
- Click on Search help for each database and you will find tips specific to that database to help you refine your search.
Before entering words into the search box
- Define your question carefully e.g. is there a relationship between weight problems and computer use in teenagers?
- Choose the keywords for that question e.g. weight, problems, computer, teenagers.
- Check the kind of entry the database expects e.g. author name, Book title, or key word.
Adding words to the search Box
Put the following words between the keywords to define your search:
- AND to find articles which have both terms e.g. computer AND health AND problems
- OR so that each result will contain at least one of the terms e.g. (computer OR PC) and Health
- NOT to exclude a particular term from the results e.g. computer and health and (teens NOT children)
Think laterally to refine your search to get better results.
- Use alternative search words e.g. for teenagers use: teens or young adults or adolescents.
- Add more keywords or bracket words together e.g. "computer use", "health problems."
Limiting your search
- Some databases allow you to limit the search by date or full-text or format etc.
