Library and Internet Skills

Table of Contents

Finding word variations: using truncation

Truncation allows you to place "wildcards" in your search terms that force the computer to fill in the blanks. You can truncate up to 100 characters. The only other limitation is that the first letter of the word cannot be a wildcard. Truncation can be used to find variations in spelling and tenses, as well as words with similar roots, but different suffixes.

'$' for different word endings

You can use a dollar sign '$' to search for different word endings. This is called 'truncation.' '$' can represent from 0-100 letters. It must be used at the end of the word, and be preceded by at least three letters.

Examples

Truncated form:	child$	ecolog$	africa$	econom$
Finds:	child children child's	ecology ecological	africa african	economy economics economic economist economists

The dollar sign can also be used to get around variations in spelling.

Examples

Truncated Form:	Finds:
colo$r	color, colour
encyclop$edia	encyclopedia, encyclopaedie

Tip:

Be careful where you truncate. If you truncate too soon in the word, you may get a lot of irrelevant material. For example, if you used eco$ to find variations on economics, you would also find ecology.

Warning

Truncation will slow the catalogue down. If you truncate several words in your search be prepared for your search to take longer.

Using "?" for missing letters

The "?" allows you to search for words even if you are unsure of the spelling. Unlike the "$" described above, the "?" only substitutes 1 letter.

Examples

Truncated Form:	Finds:
wom?n	women, woman
economi??	economies, economist, economics

Top of this Page