The information on the previous page helped you to plan and to start searching for information in Primo and databases.

On this page you'll find a range of advanced search strategies that can help you further refine and focus your searching, to lead you to more relevant resources.

To see these strategies in action:

Most databases will allow you to specify which field you want to search. Records in library databases are comprised of fields containing specific pieces of bibliographic information. Limiting your search to specific fields can yield more precise results. To find and select the fields in which you can search, look for drop-down menus beside each search box.
Common fields include:

• author
• title
• journal title
• abstract
• publisher
• subject/descriptor

Searching within the abstract fields (AB) can be particularly helpful. This is because abstracts, as summaries of articles, are very keyword-rich: If you get a 'hit' on a keyword in an abstract you will usually find the article is relevant. The abstract is also a good source to find additional keywords you can use in your search strategies.

Once you've searched, you can also limit your results by some of these fields. This is extremely useful if you want all of your articles to have been published within a certain date range, or for them all to be peer-reviewed. Most databases allow you to limit your search or refine your results set by facets. 

Common facets include:

• date
• language
• subject area
• geographical area
• material type
• journal title
• scholarly or peer reviewed articles

Use the material or publication type options to refine your results to particular resources types, e.g. journal articles, cases studies, reviews.

A proximity search forces a database to find results where one search term appears within a certain number of words of another search term. The proximity operator varies according to the database.

Examples from an EBSCOhost database:

N= near

W=within

Once you have found a good article, you can use its citations or reference list to find additional resources.

Remember you will still need to evaluate any resource you find using these methods.

You can also use our citation databases to undertake footnote chasing and citation searching.

Grey literature refers to scholarly works and research that have not been commercially published. Grey literature is generally not subject to peer review however, it can often be a good source of up to date information. Alternatively, it can provide a valuable historical link to how things were done in the past.

Examples of grey literature include:

• conference proceedings
• theses
• government documents
• business papers
• informal communication (blogs, podcasts)
• reports
• newspapers
• statistics and census data

To find grey literature you can search:

• Analysis & Policy Observatory is an open access evidence platform for public policy and practice.
• Trove to locate Australian publications from libraries, museums, archives and research organisations.
• Web of Science indexes conference proceedings.

See Grey literature for more information. 

The Internet is a great place to locate background information and additional resources outside of scholarly publications. 

There are some tips and tricks you can implement to make the most out of Google Search and improve the relevance and quality of your results. 

While Google Search does offer an Advanced Search, you can use these strategies within the basic search box to provide you with the same control.

For guidance on searching the internet check out: 

You might like to consider using EndNote to collect and store references for your assessments.

EndNote is bibliographic management software that is freely available to CSU students. With EndNote you can:

• record and manage the details of journals and books you have found in your research;
• store and manage PDF copies of articles you have downloaded;
• annotate and add notes to PDFs;
• insert in-text citations and reference-list entries into essays.

Work through our Discover EndNote Modules to learn how to use EndNote.

Journal databases use a controlled vocabulary when indexing article records to enable information to be grouped by topic. By controlling the vocabulary, the database ensures that synonyms and similar phrases are collected under one accepted term.

You can search using a database's vocabulary. When you are in a database there will usually be a hyperlink near the search boxes called thesaurus, subjects, or subject headings. 

The following websites provide information about international customs law, including relevant treaties and international agreements, as well as internationally recognised standards and procedures. 

You can search within the websites, browse their resources/documents sections or use the Google site: search function.