search databases
Whenever you are given a research topic, always generate a list of potential SEARCH TERMS > minimum of 3*
Can't think of SEARCH TERM terms?
1.Go to Thesaurus.com OR Yippy.com and type in your main topic. 2. Look at list of sub-topics on the left for other search terms. (Don't use these websites for research purposes) Note that: Google and search engines are easy to use but do not give trustworthy research sources. Databases = most reliable sources |
A good researcher uses an ADVANCED SEARCH online
e.g. If you are searching for more than one word, (e.g. Water Conservation) USE QUOTATION MARKS -- > Searches for the phrase in that exact order rather than each word separately OTHER search options: Wildcards: ? * (at end or middle of word) ? (Single character) -- Use when not sure of the spelling of a word/author e.g. Eri? will search for Erik, Eric, etc. ?? = not sure of spelling for 2 letters; ??? = not sure of spelling for 3 letters * (End asterisk) = Trucation; this expands a search term to include all forms of a root word e.g., patent* retrieves patent, patentable, patented, etc. * (mid-word asterisk) = Multi-character wildcard for finding an unlimited # of characters within a word e.g., behavi*r retrieves behaviour or behavior |
What is a 'Boolean Search' ?
+ (AND) - (NOT) / (OR) What do Boolean Operators do? e.g. Looking for water conservation? Water AND Conservation -- Searches for articles or pages which contain both Water and Conservation in their text Bottles NOT Glass -- Searches for types of bottles including plastic and aluminum but excludes results with glass Water OR Hydro -- Site may contain either the word Water, or the word Hydro Use the Boolean Searches on any search engine (e.g. Google Scholar) and for Advanced Searches in most Databases > BONUS: If searching for 2+ terms, your search words will be highlighted in article. |