Understanding Research

Finding Books

ODU Library Catalog info

OhioLINK Library Catalog info

Finding Articles

Why and How Would I Limit My Search?

Why:

After you have viewed your search results, you may want to narrow your search so that you find fewer items. You can do this by placing some limits on what you are searching for in the library catalog.

For example, you may want to limit your search to items published after a certain date or those written in a certain language.

You can limit your search using the following options:

• Language
• Material Type
• Publisher
• Location (in the ODU library)
• Publication year(s)

How:

In our catalog, you can limit your search in a few simple steps:

1. Click on the button at the top of your search results screen.
   
2. The "Advanced Keyword Search" screen will appear (see below). Fill in as many boxes as you want. You do not need to fill in all of the boxes.
   
3. After you are finished, click on the search button that appears at the bottom of the screen to search with the limits you have chosen.

Survivor Tip: You can limit your search by several things at once, but you may end up with too few search results. If this happens, you will want to either remove some of your limits or reevaluate your search strategy.

(6) Do You Know How? How can I limit a search to books in just the Reference Collection? Read correct answer

Next: What is a Library Catalog Record?