Sometimes, when we're searching for articles that focus on a specific country, state, or other location, we get lots of results that focus on other places. Here are some tips for getting more relevant results.
Use the location as a keyword.
You can use the name of the location you're interested in as a search term:
In some search tools, including NavigatorSearch, EBSCO, and ProQuest, you can search for a word in article titles, abstracts, or subject term lists, which increases the likelihood that your results will be relevant. Click on Advanced Search, and then use the drop-down menus next to your search boxes to choose where you'd like to search.
For example, here's how to search for the words "United States" OR USA in article abstracts:
Sometimes, it's helpful to put the location name in quotes, as in the EBSCO example above. This tells the database to search for a name or phrase exactly as you've typed it.
Use database filters to focus on a location
Some search tools, including EBSCO and ProQuest, have Geography or Location filters. You can locate these additional search options once you conduct your search.
EBSCO/NavigatorSearch: Select all filters, and they will expand on the right-hand side. Navigate to Filter by Geography.
ProQuest: After an initial keyword search, navigate to the Location section on the left-hand side under "More filters". Select more for additional options.
Use NOT to tell the database you don't want to see results about a certain location
Often, students run a search and notice that they've gotten a lot of results for a certain country. We can tell the database not to give us results about that country by adding the word NOT to our search, like this:
If you're using the Advanced Search option, you can use the drop-down menus next to your search boxes to select NOT.
We would not see results about Canadian literacy rates if we ran these searches.
To learn more about Boolean operators AND, NOT, OR visit our Understand Research Guide.
