SP111 Instructional Session
What are we talking about today?
- Explore your topics.
- Discuss different source types (journals, newspapers, advertisements, websites, etc.) and where to find them.
- How to search using library resources (and how that's different from what we might be used to).
- And then we'll actually search!
Let's explore your topics.
I want to know what you're going to be speaking about! Click here to share your selected topics for this assignment.
Let's talk about source types and where to find them.
When researching, you'll find that certain sources work better for certain topics. For example, the more recent your topic the more you want to look for newspaper articles that cover current events. When you're looking for statistics, government sources might work best. Where would you look if you were wanting to find newspaper articles?
How does that translate to where you would look on the library homepage?
How does that translate to where you would look on the library homepage?
I want to know where you think you want to start searching! Click here to add where you would click (or what resource you would search) and what type of sources you'd except to find there.
Let's talk about how to search.
Now that we've selected where we're searching, how do we search for what we want?
Searching in a library database is different than how you search in Google. You want to search only the most important words--I call it Hulkspeak, but you can call it whatever you want! The good news is, you already know how to search in a database if you've used a database like Netflix or Hulu before!
If I type in "I want to watch cooking shows" into Hulu, I get a bunch of stuff--but none of it is relevant to what I want to watch!
Searching in a library database is different than how you search in Google. You want to search only the most important words--I call it Hulkspeak, but you can call it whatever you want! The good news is, you already know how to search in a database if you've used a database like Netflix or Hulu before!
If I type in "I want to watch cooking shows" into Hulu, I get a bunch of stuff--but none of it is relevant to what I want to watch!
But if I just type in the most important word, "cooking," I get stuff that's a lot more relevant to what I want to watch!
Once you've got the best keywords, you can get real advanced in your search strategies.
To get some practice coming up with keywords, click here to share your keywords. If you're feeling fancy, try using Boolean or quotation marks for phrases.
- Combine multiple keywords with Boolean: AND, OR, NOT (make sure you use all capital letters)
AND limits your results (cat AND dog)
OR expands your results (cat OR dog)
NOT removes unnecessary words (cat OR dog NOT puppy OR kitten) - Use quotation marks to search for phrases (be careful that you're not putting quotations around unrelated words)
"German shepherd" vs. German shepherd - Play with filters! You can filter out irrelevant source types, date ranges, language, etc.
To get some practice coming up with keywords, click here to share your keywords. If you're feeling fancy, try using Boolean or quotation marks for phrases.
You might also find that some sources only have an abstract (which means it's a summary) and you can't immediately read the full text! Fear not! There is a way to request these sources that's entirely free and usually only takes about 24 hours for delivery. Click here for instructions on how to request items.
Let's start searching!
Now you know where you're searching and how you're searching, let's start searching!
But remember, when you search, you might find yourself getting stumped. That's totally normal, there's a lot to this whole research thing! To help you, the library offers a wide range of services. We'll help even if you're not using library resources, you just have to ask!
But remember, when you search, you might find yourself getting stumped. That's totally normal, there's a lot to this whole research thing! To help you, the library offers a wide range of services. We'll help even if you're not using library resources, you just have to ask!