Like many search systems, EBSCO has ways to search for items even when there are unknown characters, multiple spellings, or various endings to a word. We call these:
Wildcard and Truncation Symbols
Wildcards are used when a variety of letters could be in place within a word. And it uses two different symbols, the question mark (?) and the hashtag (#).
? wildcard = unknown character
Example:ne?t finds results containing neat, nest, or next
# wildcard = alternate spelling may contain an extra character
Example: colo#r finds results containing color or colour
Truncation is a shortening of a search term and then added an asterisk (*) in order to get results that include various endings of that word
Example: ocean* finds results with the words ocean, oceanic, or oceans
You can also use * to substitute a word within a phrase.
Example: day * died will return results that include the exact phrase day democracy died as well as day JFK died, et cetera.
NOTE: These symbols cannot be used at the beginning of a search and don't include the ? for titles actually ending with a question mark because alternate results will come instead.
Wildcard & Truncation symbols are common shortcuts, but be aware that each symbol does not always work the same way across search sites.
Try these tips! Search EBSCO below!
