Below are a few strategies and tips that you can use to effectively search for diverse STEM resources:
- Use multiple keywords: Combine terms and keywords with AND to ensure all terms appear in your search results. For example: [ transgender AND scientist ]. Combine your keywords with OR to ensure at least one of the terms appear in your search results. This is a good way to search for different words with the same (or similar) meanings. For example: [ Latino OR Hispanic ].
- Use quotation marks: To ensure that your words appear together in a specific order/grouping, use quotation marks. For example: [ "African American women computer scientists" ].
- Remove words: Use NOT to exclude words that you do not want in your results. For example, to find books on indigenous science and avoid getting results for fiction books, use: [ "indigenous science" NOT fiction ].
If you experience difficulty while searching and are looking for more assistance, contact Andrea Pritt, STEM Librarian, at alp5088@psu.edu. Librarians are here to help!