Gretchen PetersonLIBS 100

W10

The Search Strategy

Remember, research is a process!

Research takes timeDon’t rush through the stepsHave patience with yourself as we discuss new informationOur discussion today will focus on steps you will take to find information in databases

The Search Strategy1. Pick a topic2. Restate your topic as a question3. Identify keywords4. Develop synonyms5. Phrase searching

6. Boolean searching7. Set up search string(s)

1. Pick a TopicTopics that you select for papers and

assignments at Bryant & Stratton MUST be college level

Example: Global Warming

2. Restate Your Topic as a QuestionA good research question for a college class

is not just a definition, but a question that asks for deeper levels of information

A good research question for a college class cannot be answered with a simple yes or no answer

Example of a good research question: What are the causes and effects of global warming?

Example of a bad research question: What is the definition of global warming?

3. Identify Keywords Look at your research question to

identify keywordsKeywords describe major concepts in

your research topicKeywords will help you find

information on your topicYou will use your keywords when you

search for information on your topicKeywords will not be words like: a, an,

the, and, or, but, in, of, for, on, into, from, than, at, to, as, also, probably, however, very, this, that, those, is, be, see, do

See p. 6 in Barker/Terry for more discussion about keywords

3. Identify Keywords Our research question is: What are the

causes and effects of global warming?What do you think the keywords would be?

CausesEffectsGlobal warming

4. Develop SynonymsWhat are synonyms?

A word or words that have the same or almost the same meaning as another word or words

Synonyms are similar!We develop synonyms in order to make sure that

we find as much relevant information as possibleSynonyms should be incorporated into your

searchesExample: What are the causes and effects of

global warming?Synonyms for global warming= climate change,

greenhouse effect

5. Phrase SearchingYou only use phrase searching when one

or more of your keywords is made up of more than one word

Searching for the keyword causes is not considered phrase searching

Searching for the keyword “global warming” is an example of phrase searching

Phrase searching is often times indicated by the use of quotation marks around your phrase

You don’t need to use quotation marks around your keyword if it is made up of just one word

Boolean SearchingWhat is Boolean Searching?

Boolean Searching refers to use the use of Boolean Operators used to combine keyword together

Boolean Operators include: AND, OR, and NOT

AND narrows your search resultsOR expands your search resultsNOT narrows your search results

Most of your searches will be AND searches

What on earth does all of this mean?

Boolean Operator Activity Time!

Venn DiagramsVenn Diagrams date back to the 1880s and are

used to demonstrate set relationships in the fields of probability, logic, statistics, and computer science

You don’t need to understand the math behind Venn DiagramsYou will need to understand some key points about

Venn DiagramsVenn Diagrams are often used to demonstrate

Boolean searchingVenn Diagrams are representations of how the

different Boolean Operators impact search resultsSee p. 26-27 in Barker/Terry for more information

OR Venn Diagram Example: Chocolate OR Pickles

Chocolate Pickles

AND Venn Diagram Example: Chocolate AND Pickles

Chocolate Pickles

NOT Venn Diagram Example:Chocolate NOT Pickles

Chocolate Pickles

7. Set up Search StringsSearch strings are NOT the same as your

research questionSearch strings incorporate your keywords,

synonyms and Boolean OperatorsAs a result, search strings look a little

strange!Here is an example of a search string, using

our global warming research question:(“global warming” OR “climate change)

AND causes AND effectsYou may have to create several search

strings in order to get to the information that you really need

Questions?

Let’s try another example together!