Truncation and Wildcards
In order to search for information in a database more effectively, a keyword may be searched in plural and singular form, or as a root word with multiple endings. This is referred to as using truncation or stemming.
Truncation broadens your search by retrieving results with all spellings of a single root word. The symbol for truncation is usually an * at the point where the spelling of the word could change. For example, pollut* AND ocean would find articles with the terms pollutant/pollute/polluted/pollutes/polluting/pollution and ocean in them.
Truncation is very useful when you know one of your search terms has several endings, but all of the variations represent basically the same idea. Using truncation will help you complete your search faster because you will not have to manually type in and search every variation of the word.
Using truncation in a database is a sophisticated operation, but it can easily be handled with a little practice. Look at the examples below to see which words truncation would apply to:
Examples:
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child* = child, childs, children, childrens, childhood
- genetic* = genetic, genetics, genetically
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educat* = educate, educated, educates, educating, education, educator, educators
Truncation symbols may vary by database; common symbols include: *, !, ?, or # 
Wildcards:
Similar to truncation, wildcards substitute a symbol for one letter of a word.
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This is useful if a word is spelled in different ways, but still has the same meaning.
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Examples:
wom!n = woman, women
colo?r = color, colour
What to look for
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Root words that have multiple endings. Example: sun = suns, sunshine, sunny, sunlight
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Words that are spelled differently, but mean the same thing. Example: color, colour
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Truncation/wildcard symbols vary by database. Check the help screens of the database you are searching to find out which symbols are used:
Check out the video below to see truncation in action!