Search Terms

To find sources in library databases use search terms, or keywords, that capture what you want to find information on. 

For example:

• If I want to find articles that discuss Angels in America, I would type in "Angels in America"
• If I find too many things that are not about the play, I can add in the playwright's name: AND Kushner
• If I want articles on the film version of Angels in America, I could type in "Angels in America" AND film OR movie or if I want to find things on the relationship between the film and play, I might add in the keyword AND adaptation.
• If I want articles that discuss a concept in the play, I add that in. For example, "Angels in America" AND identity

My search might look like this: 

Search Tips & Tricks:

• Keep it simple. Use only key words, rather than complicated phrases.
  • Ex: anime AND "gender identity" instead of "gender identity in anime"
• Identify synonyms, related terms, and broader or narrower terms and include them in a search with OR. 
  • Ex: (desire OR lust)
• Look for specialized vocabulary of the field - as well as formal subject terms.​ Ex:
  • LGBTQ Studies. Online dating. Queer visuality.
• Connect key words with AND to narrow and focus a search. 
  • (anime OR manga) AND ("gender identity" OR "gender nonconformity")
• Use OR to search for synonyms or alternative words.
  • (LGBTQ OR lesbian OR gay OR bisexual OR transgender OR queer OR homosexual OR intersex)
• Put phrases in quotation marks.
  • Ex: "transgender characters"
• Use truncation to capture forms of a root term. 
  • Ex: represent* = represent, representation
• Use NOT to exclude something 
  • Ex: NOT reviews

Keep a list of keywords you stumble across as you do your research and read! Examples:

• desire
• homoerotic
• same sex
• gender play
• embodied self ...

Keep a list of Subject Terms you come across - and try them out! To find subject terms, click on a relevant-sounding title in the catalog and scroll down the page to find the subject terms. In our article databases, you can also look for additional terms under Subjects in the menu. Examples:

• Gays
• Gays' writings, American -- History and criticism
• AIDS (Disease) in Literature
• Lesbians in Literature

Image of the subject terms associated with the article title "The Fate of the Other in Tony Kushner's Angels in America"

You may click on a subject to find associated sources or mix and match subjects and keywords to find relevant sources.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Effective Searching

Database searches work best with keywords and subject terms, rather than with natural language.

For example:

• If I want to find articles that discuss Angels in America, I type in "Angels in America"
• If I find too many things that are not about the play, I can add in the playwright's name: AND Kushner
• If I want articles on the film version of Angels in America, I can type in "Angels in America" AND film OR movie or if I want to find things on the relationship between the film and play, I might add in the keyword AND adaptation.
• If I want articles that discuss a concept in the play, I add that in. For example, "Angels in America" AND identity

My search might look like this: 

Search Tips & Tricks:

• Keep it simple. Use only key words, rather than complicated phrases.
  • Ex: anime AND "gender identity" instead of "gender identity in anime"
• Identify synonyms, related terms, and broader or narrower terms and include them in a search with OR. 
  • Ex: (desire OR lust)
• Look for specialized vocabulary of the field - as well as formal subject terms.​ Ex:
  • LGBTQ Studies. Online dating. Queer visuality.
• Connect key words with AND to narrow and focus a search. 
  • (anime OR manga) AND ("gender identity" OR "gender nonconformity")
• Use OR to search for synonyms or alternative words.
  • (LGBTQ OR lesbian OR gay OR bisexual OR transgender OR queer OR homosexual OR intersex)
• Put phrases in quotation marks.
  • Ex: "transgender characters"
• Use truncation to capture forms of a root term. 
  • Ex: represent* = represent, representation
• Use NOT to exclude something 
  • Ex: NOT reviews

Strategize where to look for the info you need

Conversations and analysis take place in place in different communities and for different audiences. 

Pages of this guide are organized to help. 

Find Background Info

• Find Background Info connects you to Gale eBooks, Holman's Library subject encyclopedia database, and to a few history/ biography databases.
• Look for REFERENCE SOURCES in all those databases to find background overviews on a person, time period, art movement, or issue.
• Also look for terminology you might use in your research and leads to relevant sources. 
• Thoughtful biographical articles explore how authors explore the issues in their lives through their art.

Find Books 

• This page is for the Holman Library One Search and our book catalog. Look for works BY an author or ABOUT an author, work, or topic.

Find Journalism

• Use the news and multimedia page to find news, analysis and opinion on the arts and current issues from a range of perspectives.
• Also find reviews of cultural productions, such as books and performances, and find interviews with your authors and creators. 

Find Literary Criticism & Scholarship

• Use the literary criticism database to find analyses of works, authors, themes, and genres. Some of the material is for students, some for the general public, and some scholarly.
• Topic and Work overviews can be a good place to learn how a work has been interpreted by a range of critics. 
• Find the scholarly conversation in scholarly (peer reviewed) journals and scholarly books. Limit to scholarly peer-reviewed source (and avoid the book reviews you will come across).

Explore LGBTQ Archives

• Explore archives for collections of historical documents, images