LibGuides: CRIM 203 (Historical Perspectives in Criminal Justice) Course Guide: Improve Your Searching

Searching with Keywords

Combining Your Keywords

Many of the library's databases allow you to combine keywords using AND and OR.

Using AND to combine keywords will retrieve articles that include both of the terms, while using OR will retrieve articles that include either of the terms.

Look at the example below, which demonstrates how you could combine keywords in Academic Search Complete.

Searching with Synonyms

Synonyms are great to use when searching in databases, such as Academic Search Complete, because databases only bring back results which contain the exact words you typed in. If you don't include synonyms you could miss out on some relevant sources.

Synonyms can be combined using OR, as in the example below:

Keywords to Subject headings

Topic / Ideas	Library of Congress Subject heading
Prostitution in Canada	Prostitution -- Canada--History Prostitutes Brothels Sex and law -- Canada Women -- Legal status, laws,etc.
Aboriginal history of Canada	Indians of North America -- Canada -- History First Nations Native peoples -- Canada Indigenous peoples -- Canada Metis (or other tribe names)
Sentencing in Canada	Sentences (Criminal procedure) -- Canada Trials Courts -- Canada Judicial process -- Canada
Execution in Canadian History	Executions and executioners -- Canada -- History Hanging Gallows
Racism in justice system	Discrimination in criminal justice administration -- Canada Race discrimination -- Canada Equality before the law -- Canada Crime and race -- Canada
Racism (or gender inequality in the news)	Racism in the press Mass media and sex Women -- Press coverage Discrimination Press coverage
Youth justice in Canada	Street youth -- Legal status, laws, etc -- Canada Canada. Youth Juvenile Delinquents Act Homeless youth Juvenile justice, Administration of -- Canada
Women in prison	Female offenders -- Canada Women murderers -- Canada
Prisons	Prison administration -- Canada Correctional institutions -- Canada Corrections Imprisonment
Policing in Canada	Police -- Canada Law enforcement -- Canada Racial profiling in law enforcement -- Canada
Criminal justice	Criminal justice, Administration of Corrections Criminal courts Sex discrimination in criminal justice administration Jurisprudence
Representation of crime	Mass media and criminal justice Crime in mass media