Truncation means adding a symbol to the root of a word to retrieve its variant endings.
In the MnPALS Online Catalog the truncation symbol is the "?" or " * ". Thus, a search for "market?" retrieves: market, markets , marketer, marketers, and marketing .
Be careful. The search for "cat?" is less efficient because it retrieves: cat, cats, catalog, catacomb, cataclysm, etc!
Truncation allows you to add a symbol at the end of a word root to retrieve variant endings, such as plurals. Other indexes truncation symbols. Here are some examples:
EbscoHost * (asterisk)
Wilson Web * (asterisk)
Cambridge * (asterisk)
ProQuest ? (question mark)
Lexis Nexis ! (exclamation point)
Be sure to check a database's Help section to make sure that you are using the proper truncation symbol.
