Truncation
Another useful
search parameter is truncation.
Truncation allows the searcher to insert a truncation symbol, usually
an * or ?, as a wildcard at the end or the middle of a
word. For example, the search term teen*
will locate the terms
- teen
- teens
- teenager
- teenagers
- teenaged
- teensy
- teeny
Try not to use
truncation on a very short root
word as too many words would be retrieved and the relevance of the
search would be affected. Some search engines automatically truncate
your search terms to find plural, -ing, or -ed endings. Truncation
symbols will vary. Some search engines and databases do not support
truncation.
The concept of
truncation is further illustrated
in this tutorial
by Colorado State University Libraries.