Researchsteps Fall2009

Research Steps:
1) Choose and develop your topic
2) Find background(book databases)
3) Find current information (article databases)
4) Cite your sources (MLA or APA style)

Find books and reference book chapters for overviews
Search with broad topics!

Use magazine/journal articles for current information on your topic
Use narrow topics!

You can also use our subject guides!

Databases…
are paid-subscription Web sites
you’ve already paid for them!
original sources are not free: books and magazines
written by experts on the topic
offer book chapters and journal articles in full-text
use more sophisticated search techniques…

1) Databases use subject headings!
Guess: type keywords into the database.
Review your search results.
Click subject headings ofuseful listings
Your new results are usually better!

Check if you’re using the right words! (subject headings)

2) Databases use Boolean logic (“and”)
Overlaps two or more ideas
The most common Boolean search uses “and”
Named after English mathematician George Boole (1815-1864).

3) Databases use truncation, or wildcard symbols: *
Find the asterisk (*) on keyboard:
Shift and 8 keys, or
number pad on right of keyboard

 Broad or narrow search terms?:
Stay with big ideas searching for books
Search with narrow ideas for articles
Use Boolean logic (and) to overlap subjects
If you don’t find enough, broaden your search ideas!
 Check your search words:
use the words the databases use (subject headings)
Use truncation to help find the right words:
steriod* > steroid, steroidal, steroids
Remember the strategies: