CNX 220: Childbirth and Midwifery

Here are some strategies for search statement language for searching in library databases:

• Use an * to search for multiple forms of a word in a single search:
  • pregnan*   will search for: pregnant, pregnancy, pregnancies
  • midwi*   will search for: midwife, midwives, midwifery
  • medicaliz*   will search for: medicalize, medicalized, medicalization
     

• Use "quotation marks" to have multiple words searched together as a phrase:
  • "postpartum depression"
  • "infant mortality"
  • "birth control"
  • "maternal mortality"
  • "united states"
  • "dominican republic"

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• ​Use the word OR (in capital letters) to search for words with similar meaning -- always place within (  ):
  • (race OR racism)
  • (cesarean OR c-section)
  • (class OR socioeconomic)
  • (black OR "african american")

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• Use the word AND (in capital letters) to combine different topics/concepts:
  • "language barrier" AND childbirth
  • "maternal mortality" AND (race OR racism) AND "united states"
  • infertil* AND (environmental OR genetic) AND "united states"