Truncation just means finding different endings to a word.  In most databases, an asterisk (*) is used to get different endings to a word. Put the * at the end of the root of the word you are searching for.

For example, jewel* will find the words jewel, jewels, jewelry, jeweler, jewelers, or jeweled.

Be careful not to shorten the word too much, or you might get lots of words you're not interested in.  For example, cat* will find cat, cats, catalog, cataclysm, catamaran, catastrophe, catch, cataract, and lots more.

Most databases allow a "wildcard" to replace a letter or letters within a word.  Usually, one wildcard symbol takes the place of one letter, and you can use one symbol for each character you're unsure of.  For example, wom?n will find woman or women; bernst??n will find bernstein or bernstien.  Databases vary a little in how wildcards work, so be sure to look at the database's online HELP or ask a librarian if you have problems.

This chart shows the truncation and wildcard symbols used in some of the popular databases at Joyner Library:
 

 

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