Truncation is a technique that broadens your search to include various word endings and spellings.
- Truncation symbols vary by database
- Common symbols include: *, !, ?, or # (check the help menus to find out which symbols are used).
- To use truncation, enter the root of a word and put the truncation symbol at the end. The database will return results that include any ending of that root word.
Examples:
sun* finds sun, suns, sunshine, sunny, sunlight
pharm* finds pharmacy, pharmacist, pharmacology, pharmaceutical, etc.
Wildcards substitute a symbol for one letter of a word.
- A wildcard can be placed anywhere in a word, not just the end.
- Wildcards are useful if a word is spelled in multiple ways.
Examples:
wom!n = woman, women
colo?r = color, colour
