Truncation & Wildcards
What is truncation?
Truncation is a searching technique used in databases where a word ending is replaced by a symbol to search for other variations of the keyword. It can be useful in a variety of situations, such as when a researcher wishes to search for:
- Both the singular and plural forms of a noun (syllabus/syllabi);
- The use of a word as both a noun and a verb (mortgage/mortgaging);
- Multiple tenses of a verb (trade, trades, trading, traded) at the same time.
The most commonly used truncation symbol is the asterisk (*), but different databases recognize different symbols, so it is advisable to consult a database’s “Help” page for a list of accepted symbols before attempting to use truncation. Other symbols used may be: ?, #, or !.
Example of Truncation
diag* = diagnose, diagnosed, diagnosis, diagnostic, diagonal, diagram
It is important to note that placing a truncation symbol too early in a word can lead to results that are not relevant to a topic. In the example, the placement of the asterisk after the letter “g” results in identifying words that are only related by the way that they are spelled. If the researcher is looking for variations of the word “diagnosis,” then they would be better served by placing the truncation symbol after the letter “s,” because that will exclude words like “diagonal” and “diagram.“
What is a Wildcard?
Similarly, a wildcard is a designated symbol used to represent one or more letters within a word.
Wildcards can be useful in situations such as when a researcher wishes to search for both the singular and plural forms of certain nouns (man/men) or for words with spelling variations (behavior/behaviour) at the same time.
Like truncation symbols, the recognized symbols used for wildcards vary from database to database, so it is advisable to consult a database’s “Help” page for a list of accepted symbols before attempting to use wildcards. Other symbols used may be: ?, #, or !.
Example of Truncation
wom*n = woman, women, womyn, womon, womin
Sometimes, using a wildcard can produce results that include spelling variations that the researcher was not expecting. In the example, the placing of the asterisk between the letters “m” and “n” provides the singular and plural forms of the noun “woman,” along with several variant spellings that are not frequently used but may appear in articles that could be useful to the researcher.
One more tip: Phrase searching
Phrase searching involves placing double quotation marks (“__”) around two or more words to create a single search term. It can be especially useful when searching for things like the names of people, places, companies, concepts, etc., that are made up of two or more words. It can also help exclude results in which the individual words appear but are not relevant to the search.
Examples of phrase searching
“warren buffett“
“general electric”
“human resource management”
“who moved my cheese”
Phrase searching can be especially helpful when using Internet search engines because the sheer volume of information that is indexed and available on the web can make it difficult to locate information if the search engine is searching for multiple words independently, but the researcher is looking for documents where the words appear side-by-side.