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Search strategy

I’ve got my topic. Now what is my strategy?

  • What exactly do I need?
  • Types of information
  • What’s the best place to start looking?
  • Why use official subjects VS. keywords?
  • Tips for combining search words
  • Refine your search
  1. What exactly do I need?

    • How long is this paper? Short assignments don’t need nearly the fine detail and in depth analysis that semester-long projects require. Here is a rough guide:

      Assigned length
      of research project       		Rough guidelines for sources needed
      1-2 page paper 2-3 magazine articles or web sites
      3-5 page paper 4-8 items, including books, articles (scholarly &/or popular) and web sites
      10-15 page paper 12-20 items, including books, scholarly articles, web sites and other items

    • What broader topic does it fall under?
      (may be important if you’re trying to find books)
        example: topic = something that happened on my birth date
          broader topic = something in American history

    • How current does my information need to be? Do I need…
      very recent facts or opinion, a historical view?
  2. Are there different types of information I might need?

    • Scholarly research vs popular information

      A scholarly journal, popular magazine, government document, or zine may have very different perspectives on the same topic. What is appropriate for this research project?

      1. Scholarly journal articles are written by experts in a field. They report the results of in-depth research, and are reviewed and evaluated by other experts or peers.
      2. Articles from popular magazines are written by authors who may have no expertise in a that field. The articles are not evaluated by other experts or peers. Because of this they are often viewed as having less credibility than scholarly articles.

      Use these guidelines to help you decide whether a journal is scholarly or popular. If you’re still not sure, ask a librarian!

      Scholarly Journals Popular Magazines
      Articles report research or experiments. Written to entertain and inform.
      Articles always have bibliographies and footnotes—often lengthy! Usually no bibliographies or references.
      Articles may be peer reviewed or refereed.* Articles not peer reviewed.
      Articles tend to be longer. Articles tend to be shorter, some only 1-2 pages.
      Authors always identified. Authors sometimes identified.
      Authors are scholars/researchers. Writers/ journalists.
      Ads—none to few. Ads are many and glossy.
      Journal title may include words like “journal,” “review,” or “bulletin.” Magazine titles usually lack these terms.
      *Articles in refereed journals have been written by experts and reviewed by peers in that academic field. They represent scholarly research. Refereed articles are sometimes called “peer reviewed articles.”

      Note: If you search in EbscoHost, one of the Library’s online databases, you can click on “peer reviewed” as one of the ways to focus or limit your results.

    • Will original documents help me?

      Primary sources are the original documents of an event or discovery. Examples include diaries, results of research, surveys, journal articles, interviews, eyewitness news reports.

      In contrast, secondary sources summarize and analyze or explain what is reported in primary sources. Sometimes they are used to persuade the reader. Examples include textbooks, articles and editorials that interpret or review research results.

      Examples:
      Subject Primary Source Secondary Source
      Art Original artwork Article critiquing the piece of art
      History Pioneer diary Book about life on the frontier
      Political Science CNN report Newspaper editorial
      Science Journal article reporting research results Textbook
      Theatre Videotape of performance Encyclopedia of drama

  3. What’s the best place to start looking or where am I most likely to find the material I need?

    worm in book
  4. Why use (official) subjects vs. keywords?

    The two most common methods of searching in online sources are by using (official) subjects or using keywords:

    • Subject

      Why use the subject method: Subject searching is a precise—therefore efficient—method for searching. Avoid items on unwanted topics!
           -- For example: I really want lemons (cars), not lemons (the fruit)!

      How: Using standard terms or official “subject headings” that represent the main focus of a document.

      Where: Library catalogs and most article and reference databases can be searched by subject. Indexes of web sites, like Google or AltaVista, do not have this feature.


    • Keyword

      Why use the keyword method: Because keyword searching looks at all the words in a document, not just official subjects, it will find more results for you to sift through.

      --However, many results might not be relevant. With a keyword search, information on Turkey (the country) will be mixed in with turkey (the bird) results.

      --Keyword searching is best when your topic is specific (substance abuse during pregnancy), or not much has been written about it.

      How: Using words that may occur somewhere in a document—in the title, description or abstract or full text of an article.

      Where: This method is used when search web indexes. Library catalogs and article databases also allow keyword searching.

      Big hint!! You must combine search terms effectively if you’re using more than one keyword!!

  5. Tips for combining search terms to get results!

    Get better research results with less effort! This is where you learn some basic rules about talking to the computer. And where your alternate words—synonyms, broader and narrower terms—come in handy.

    • Try your searches with different words that reflect the same concept.
      for example, try: smoking, teens, cancer
      or smoking, adolescents, cancer
      or cigarettes, adolescents, cancer
    • Keep phrases short!
    • Using “or” gives more results when using keywords
    • Using “and” gives fewer results
      use when you are focusing or narrowing your topic
      many databases default to “and”
    • Use quotation marks to keep an exact phrase together
          example: “supreme court justices”

    Examples:
    Search used Web search results (Google
    chocolate OR chip OR cookie OR recipe about 7,490,000 pages
    chocolate AND chip AND cookie AND recipe about 60,800 pages
    “chocolate chip cookie recipe” about 4,540 pages
    “best chocolate chip cookie recipe” about 155 pages!
    “best chocolate chip cookies” about 2,150 pages

  6. Refine your search. pelican with book

    It’s rare to get 100% good results on the first try.

    • If you get too few results…
      try some synonyms for your topic
      try a broader term
          example: if using “wind power”, also try “renewable energy”
    • If you have too many results…
      add new concepts or limit search in some way.


      For more information or questions please contact:
      Library Reference Desk
      rbutler@occc.edu
      (405) 682-1611, Ext. 7251