Instructional Session: Basic Library Searching
Let's look at the Barber Library webpage, there are three access points:
Have you used Academic Search Premier before? Why would you use it? When would it be a good idea to use other databases?
Basic Search Skills
Protip: You should avoid combining more than four concepts in one search so that you don't get too specific and narrow your results to 0. For example: Why should computer companies recruit more female employees? My keywords might include the following: female, computer.
Protip: Avoid using relationship words like why, benefits, pro, con, best practice, negative, positive, etc.
But how do you combine those concepts in a library database? Use advanced search techniques, of course!
Boolean operators: Limit your results using AND, expand your results using OR, eliminate unnecessary results using NOT
Protip: make sure to use all caps when using Boolean operators.
example: (female OR women) AND computer AND diversity NOT breast cancer
Truncation: If you're looking for a word with plurals or various endings, try using the truncation command *
example: computer* will search for results that contain computer OR computers OR both!
Phrase Searching: If you want your keywords to appear in a specific order, like a phrase, try using quotation marks ""
example: "breast cancer"
Title Searches: Too many results? Using the drop-down menu next to the search bar, limit your search keywords to only appearing in article titles.
Protip: Avoid using relationship words like why, benefits, pro, con, best practice, negative, positive, etc.
But how do you combine those concepts in a library database? Use advanced search techniques, of course!
Boolean operators: Limit your results using AND, expand your results using OR, eliminate unnecessary results using NOT
Protip: make sure to use all caps when using Boolean operators.
example: (female OR women) AND computer AND diversity NOT breast cancer
Truncation: If you're looking for a word with plurals or various endings, try using the truncation command *
example: computer* will search for results that contain computer OR computers OR both!
Phrase Searching: If you want your keywords to appear in a specific order, like a phrase, try using quotation marks ""
example: "breast cancer"
Title Searches: Too many results? Using the drop-down menu next to the search bar, limit your search keywords to only appearing in article titles.
Using Library resources you can filter your search even further, evaluate the author and--oh yeah--you can even create a fully-formed citation!
Too much? Ask for help!
I know that there's a lot of information here, and you might still have questions, even after this session. That's what librarians are for! You can always contact me, but there are also several other options for you to contact any Barber Library librarian.
Just look for this icon or go directly to Help page and you'll be connected to someone who can help you come up with keywords, cite your sources, choose databases, and help with your general library needs! |