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Effective search strategies

Whether you are using print or online resources, you will almost certainly search for them using an electronic catalogue.

One of the most important features of any search strategy is the key words and phrases you use - computers aren't mind-readers although some internet search engines are very good at 'guessing', subscription databases and the library catalogue are less so. This can actually be helpful as you have more control over the results you get in a database than on the internet, but when you are used to internet search engines it can also be a challenge.

Use the keyword record (below and in the Resources to support inquiry box on the right hand side of every page of this guide) right from the start of your investigation to collect useful keywords and synonymns to help you to develop an effective search strategy. If you need to ask me (JAT) or your supervisor for help finding resources, it helps us to look at what you have already tried.

Don't forget to check the second page of the document for useful hints and tips on constructing a good search.

Keyword Record

There are many websites with excellent tutorials on Boolean searching (searching using AND, OR and NOT) if you want more advice. For example, this one from MIT Libraries:

MIT Libraries: Boolean operators

Books

Search for books using our Library catalogue.

Think about using different search terms. The results depend on your terms being used in the title, as a keyword or in the abstract. Use the keywording resource (in the Resources to support inquiry box to the right) to record your search terms as you work. Can you think of any alternative words (synonyms) or spellings to broaden your search?
Remember that the online catalogue is not searching the full text of the book, or even the index. You may need to search for a broader topic and then check the index of the book to see if it covers your specific topic.
Look at the classification numbers of any promising results. Other books at these classification numbers will be on a similar subject. Go and look at the other books on the shelves at these classmarks. You are very likely to come across other books on your topic that weren’t picked up by your search.

If you really cannot find any books relevant to your topic, please speak to a member of library staff or use the link on this page to email the relevant Librarian for advice.We might be able to identify books to buy or to borrow from another library. Similarly, if you come across a reference to a book that looks particularly useful that we do not have, let us know and we can try and get hold of it for you.

Databases vs internet

The vast majority of material available on the internet is not indexed by search engines. You can't find it using Google. This includes material behind paywalls. Our Subscription Databases give you access to some of that material - and we have specifically chosen databases containing material that is suitable for students at your level, so a lot of the irrelevant and inappropriate material you would find on a general internet search has been filtered out. Have a look at the subject tabs above to see which databases we recommend for your subject.

Image by: Jose Pagliery & Tal Yellin / CNNMoney

Source: https://www.library.yale.edu/researcheducation/pdfs/Searching_Evaluating_Resources.pdf

Key Point: Only use the general internet for scholarly research if you have plenty of time to wade through irrelevant information and to evaluate sources for authority, accuracy and purpose. Once you have learnt how to use databases effectively, they will save you a great deal of time in the long run.

Search tips for databases

Search Tips

Keep a list of the Keywords that you use so that you can identify particularly helpful and unhelpful ones. The sheet to the right may help you.
Always use the Advanced Search option where it is available.
Put words that you want to appear as complete phrases (rather than the two words appearing separately in different parts of the article) in double quotes e.g. "Handmaid's Tale".
Think about whether you want to limit a search term to a particular field (e.g. do you want your search term to appear in the title of the article? Do you want to look for articles written by a particular author?
Use wildcard operators:
- * for ends of words (e.g. mother* = mother, mothers,motherhood, mothering)
- ? for a single letter (e.g. wom?n = woman, women)
Use Boolean operators : AND, OR and NOT
Limit your search by Date, Language, Type of publication or ability to access full text.

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

Bonus tip: Did you know...? You can use the keystroke Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on a Mac) to Find a word or phrase on any webpage or inside a PDF or Word document.

JSTOR: Search tips

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
A digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources.

If you are on the school network you won't need to log in, but from outside you should use the username and password from the link above.

Put the username and password from the SharePoint page in here - don't use the "Find my institution' button.

You can tell you are logged in because it says "Access provided by Oakham School" at the top of the page.

Always use the Advanced Search - it gives you more control.

Unlike EBSCO, JSTOR doesn't make suggestions for search terms, so it can be a good idea to search EBSCO first and make a note of any new terms you find to use in JSTOR.

Make sure the 'access type' is limited to CONTENT I CAN ACCESS so you don't end up with lost of results you can't read.

You might want to scroll down and narrow your search at this stage - but if you want to try it out first you can always modify the search later.

When you are happy with your search click "submit advanced search".

Now you can refine your results (1) by filtering them by resource type, publication date of subject.

If you want to make changes to your original search (or filter by language), click modify search (2) to go back to the previous screen.

When you've found an article you are interested in, click on the title to go into the detailed record.

Choose cite this item and use the APA citation to gather citation information for your references.

General internet searching: finding quality sources

Do you need to use the general internet?

Given all the excellent sources above, you may well find that you don't need to search the wider internet at all. If you do, you need to take care that you are finding scholarly, reputable information. We recommend CRAAP Testing any source you find on the general internet before using it because of the huge range of reliability, authority, accuracy and purpose in internet sources.

Searching for academic sources on the internet:

There are a number of search engines that search academic sources, one undefined of the most user-friendly and versatile is Google Scholar (others include Microsoft Academic, and a variety of more subject-specific search engines). It is very clear where PDF downloads are freely available, the format makes it easy to trace where an article has been cited and there is a useful advanced search facility (which you can find by using the "three lines" menu button to the left of the page - see image to the right here).

Note that Google Scholar identifies academic papers by their format, not by where they come from, so results may vary wildly in quality. Also, it often returns large numbers of results where the full-text is hidden behind a paywall, which can be frustrating.

Note too that by choosing "settings" from the "three lines" menu, and then the "language" tab, you can choose to search for papers in a range of different languages.

Evaluating sources

Whether you are using print or online resources, you need to consider whether you think they are suitable for your inquiry and why. Consider the:

Currency: How important is the age of the resources you use? This will matter more in some subjects than others.
Relevance: Does it address your core question?
Accuracy: How do you know it is accurate? Have you checked it against other sources?
Authority: Who wrote it? What qualifies them to write in this area?
Purpose: Why has it been written? To sell you something? To convince you of a point of view? Or is it academically neutral?

The resource below (and in the Resources for inquiry box to the right of every page of this guide) can be used for CRAAP testing, and is particularly useful for websites.