Before you start searching for sources, take some time to prepare to search. Spending time preparing to search will save you time and it helps to reduce some of the frustrations.
Begin with developing your topic. As you think about possible topics, ask yourself:
Once you have a general topic in mind, ask yourself
You can search for background information on your topic to understand it better. You will also want to do some preliminary searching regarding your topic to see if other people have published on this issue.
Choosing the right keywords is essential to getting the best search result which leads to the high-quality, on-topic sources you need. Learn how to generate useful keywords and search in library databases with the video below.
Use Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine your search terms. Watch this video below on Boolean operators
Start your search by deciding which keywords to use and how to combine these keywords into a search query (the string of words entered in the search box).
You are probably familiar with using the search engine Google. When you search in Google, it puts an "and" between each word entered into the search box. For most databases, you will have to tell the database how you want the words to be combined. This is done with Boolean Operators which are "AND," "OR" and "NOT." These words tell the database how you want the search terms to be combined.
AND - combines terms so that both terms must appear in the item to appear in the results list
OR - expands the terms so that one of the terms must appear in the item to appear in the results list. Use this for synonyms or alternative spellings. Think OR means mORe.
NOT - excludes the terms so that if the term appears in the item it will not appear in the results list.
Enter your keywords and place one of these Boolean Operators between them to make a search query.
Examples:
Watch the video below for more information.
Search strategy template
Concept 1 (__________________________ OR __________________________)
AND Concept 2 (__________________________ OR __________________________)
AND Concept 3 (___________________________OR___________________________)
Information comes in many different packages including books, articles, websites, etc. You will need to think about what type of resources you want to find that best fit your project.
Ask yourself...
You can learn more about the different types of resources and what they are best used for with the linked handout "Books, Journals, Magazines, Grey Literature & More"