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Pothos Project (Ciocca Center): Subject Databases

Keyword Searching

It is important to use the right words in your searches to make sure you're searching effectively.

  • Try searching! See what terms work and what terms don't work. Always remember to use synonyms when searching to make sure you get the most results! For example, if you are research a topic in labor economics, you might want to search for not only "worker," but also "laborer" and "employee."
  • Check out this page of JEL subject codes to see what kind of language economists use when publishing. These make especially great search terms for subject searching! Click here for the American Economic Association's full page of EconLit search hints.
  • Once you have perfected your key words, make sure to use Boolean operators for the best searches!

Using Boolean Operators

Boolean operators (AND, OR, & NOT) are a powerful search tool to manipulate searches to be as broad or as narrow as you would like.
  • AND combines terms so that your search contains both search terms. For example, the search "financial markets" AND stocks will include results with both "financial markets" and stocks.
  • OR broadens your search to include either of your search terms. For example, the search laborer OR worker will include results with either laborer or worker.
  • NOT excludes terms from your search. For example, the search "interest rate" NOT "discount rate" will include results with the term "interest rate" and exclude the term "discount rate."

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