Which concept refers to the process of using a symbol to broaden search results?

• A. Truncation
• B. Search Strategy
• C. Subject Headings
• D. Spine Label

Answer: (A)

Truncation is using a wildcard symbol to broaden search results. By placing a symbol like an asterisk at the end of a word root, you capture multiple endings and related forms, expanding what the database returns. For example, typing educat* can retrieve educate, education, educator, educational, and more, so you don’t miss items just because they use a different suffix. This technique is specifically about that symbol-based expansion of results.

The other concepts aren’t about widening a search with symbols: a search strategy is the overall plan for how you search, subject headings are standardized terms used to tag and retrieve topics, and a spine label is a physical tag on a book.