Improving your search results
Too few search results?
If the result of your search action is too limited, there may be a number of reasons for this.
Did you choose the right source?
- Use a different database.
Is your search enquiry correct?
- Check your search question and if necessary correct it.
- Rephrase your question.
- See whether all components are all really necessary.
- It is possible that there is little or no information on your subject, creating the need for you to choose another subject.
- Use different or less specific search terms.
- Check your search terms – for example, did you translate these terms correctly?
- A subject-oriented database requires you to use other search terms than a general database.
- N.B. Using less specific search terms will increase the number of hits, but might decrease the number of relevant hits.
- Set fewer search limits.
- Articles dating from the last two years might be most suitable for your research, but it is possible that a great deal was published on your subject in other years.
- Do not restrict yourself to publications in Dutch. Much more is published in English.
Too many search results?
If you find too much irrelevant information, there are several options to improve your search:
- use more specific search terms
- choose a particular search entry, for example searching by Author
- use the exact phrase
- narrow by a particular publication type or publication date
- add a search term
Setting search limits results in a fewer hits, but these will be more relevant.
Example: Searching by subject heading instead of all words
A basic search in the HvA catalogue using the word heart produces references to 89 items. The word heart occurs
- as a title word ("works of heart : building village through the arts")
- as an author’s name ("American Heart Association")
- in the subject (of: "Training techniques in cardiac rehabilitation"). This books are really about the heart.
