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Conducting Effective Research

The document provides guidance on conducting effective research for academic papers. It discusses selecting appropriate databases based on topic, using broad multi-disciplinary databases initially before moving to more specialized databases. Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT are explained to combine search terms precisely. Truncation is also covered as a technique to search for word roots and related terms. The document includes a worksheet to help formulate search strategies by listing concepts, synonyms, and related ideas to try different search term combinations.

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88 views2 pages

Conducting Effective Research

The document provides guidance on conducting effective research for academic papers. It discusses selecting appropriate databases based on topic, using broad multi-disciplinary databases initially before moving to more specialized databases. Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT are explained to combine search terms precisely. Truncation is also covered as a technique to search for word roots and related terms. The document includes a worksheet to help formulate search strategies by listing concepts, synonyms, and related ideas to try different search term combinations.

Uploaded by

Line Rose BOUVILLE972
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CONDUCTING EFFECTIVE RESEARCH

With every paper you write, you are making an argument; and with every argument, you have to prove your point with
evidence. Not all evidence is created equal. If you use incorrect or biased information sources, you are not making
your argument as well as you could.
Your teacher will look at the sources you use and judge your paper on whether you looked for good information.

Selecting Databases

Some databases are subject specific and many are multidisciplinary.

If you are doing research for a nursing class, you probably won't need to use the Literature Resource Center database
because that is a resource on authors and their work. Likewise, if you are writing a paper about Edgar Allen Poe, you
most likely won't use the database CINAHL, because that is a database for medical information.

So, what should you use? Start with these a broad search, using a multi-disciplinary database:

General Multi-Disciplinary Databases:

 Academic OneFile (Gale) As your research continues, you may want to use a more
 Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) specialized database, such as CINAHL Plus (EBSCO) if
 Credo Reference you’re looking for medical information, or ProQuest’s
Criminal Justice Periodical Index.
 Gale Virtual Reference Library
 General OneFile (Gale) You can find a comprehensive list of specialized
 OmniFile Full-text Select (EBSCO) electronic databases organized by subject in our
 ProQuest Research Library Electronic Databases LibGuide.

Boolean Searching
In order to be effective, Boolean operators must be
entered between your search terms IN ALL
CAPS. The Boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT are
often used to combine keywords when searching
research databases. Use of these operators can make
your search more focused, thus yielding more precise
search results. But before using the operators, it's
necessary to understand how they actually work.

Truncation

Truncation allows you to search the "root" form of a word with all its different endings by adding a symbol to the
end of a word. Example: typing in bank* will retrieve results with these words: bank, banks, banking, bankers,
bankruptcy. The most common truncation symbol is the asterisk * but databases vary. Check the database Help
section to find the correct truncation symbol. Example: bank* bank! bank# bank?
CONDUCTING EFFECTIVE RESEARCH
Researching Your Topic
SEARCH STRATEGY WORKSHEET

What is Your Topic?

1st Concept

AND

2nd Concept

AND

3rd Concept

You don’t have to have three concepts. You can have more or fewer, but try to start with at least two ideas.

Think of Other words

What are some words that mean almost, but not quite, the same thing as your main ideas? If you do not find many
results for one search, do not give up quite yet. You can change the words a little bit to find more articles or more
specific articles. Think of synonyms, alternative spellings, and related ideas.

1st Concept AND 2nd Concept AND 3rd Concept

OR OR OR

OR OR OR

Try out a few combinations of words in a database search box. If you still find nothing, try searching in a different
database. Good luck!

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