Additional Help
[Please delete this text and add a LibAnswers widget below that links to appropriate FAQs for your topic. You can MAP to the standard "Searching Effectively FAQ List," available on the shared content guide, or you can work with Amy Barker to create your own.]
Basic Search Tips
Unlike Google, library databases can't understand an entire sentence. So you'll need to break your topic down into the most important ideas - the KEYWORDS.
Example Topic: [replace this text with an appropriate example topic for your subject, written as a complete sentence or question]
The specifics of your topic will matter when selecting sources, but for searching you only need the most essential components.
Keywords: [replace this text with the keywords for your example topic in a comma-separated list]
[Once you have chosen a topic example, contact Ashley Hoffman; she will create an animated GIF highlighting the keywords, as demonstrated below. Please be sure to communicate with Ashley about her timeframe for completing your GIF request!]
Most words have synonyms that mean the same, or very similar, things. For each keyword in your topic, try to come up with at least one synonym. Not all keywords will have synonyms, but many do!
Example:
Keep an Eye Out
Sometimes scholars use terms that you might not be familiar with, or which might mean something very specific within the discipline. While searching, look for unfamiliar terms or words that show up a lot. Try searching for those and see if you find more relevant sources.
Most library databases have search tools built in. Try some of these:
- Subject: Think of subjects as official hashtags. Use them to find sources about that subject.
- Date Range: Limit your search to sources published between specific years.
- Peer Reviewed: Limit your search to scholarly journal articles.
- Full Text: Make sure all of the results are available to read in full.
Look on the left and right of your search results, or for an "advanced search" page to find these tools - and more!
You can evaluate any source using the 5 W's:
- Who: ...wrote it? Are they an expert?
- What: ...is the purpose of this resource?
- Where: ...was this information published? ...does the information come from?
- When: ...was this published or last updated?
- Why: ...is this resource useful? ...is this resource better than other ones?
Advanced Search Tips
Use the operator AND to find only sources that mention both keywords.
This search will bring back fewer results than searching either keyword on its own.
[Please delete this text and insert a new image on the right which uses the keywords written in the gray box above. The image should be approximately 500x350 pixels and set to display at 40% width and height. The PowerPoint file used to create this image is available in the Research Guides Toolkit.]
Use the OR operator to expand your search with additional keywords.
This will find sources that include either word, so you'll see more results than by searching for just one keyword.
[Please delete this text and insert a new image on the right which uses the keywords written in the gray box above. The image should be approximately 500x350 pixels and set to display at 40% width and height.The PowerPoint file used to create this image is available in the Research Guides Toolkit.]
Use the “QUOTES” strategy to search for several words in a phrase.
This will bring back results that only use that exact phrase.
[Please delete this text and insert a new image on the right which uses the keywords written in the gray box above. The image should be approximately 450x160 pixels; no additional parameters required. If you need assistance creating a screenshot, please reach out to Amy Barker.]