Boolean Operators
Truncation &
Wildcards
Nesting
Exact-Phrase
Searching
Subject &
Keyword
Databases
Search Engines |
Finding information in resources by electronic means requires that you develop some search strategies that allow you to get to useful information that applies to what you are doing. General searching yields general results and requires that you do a great deal of sifting to get to what you can actually use. By learning techniques that make the search tools do more work for you, you can spend more time applying what you have found and less time sorting through it. |
What should I do first?
Before beginning an electronic search (on the Web or in a database),
spend some time thinking about your topic. Get some background information
by reading about it in a print or multimedia encyclopedia. Then:
- Write down the information you want to find as a phrase, sentence, or question to be answered.
- Identify key words and/or concepts in what you've written, and
make a list of them.
- Include on your list any synonyms for, or different forms of, those words and concepts (including plural forms and possible variations in spelling).
- Decide whether you may need to combine several words or concepts
(including synonyms and/or variations) in your search in order to find
what you're really looking for; also try to determine if there's a
related concept or word that you definitely want to exclude from your
search.
- Now try out the different techniques from the list above to see how your results change depending on the way you structure your search.
Credit: Eugene School District 4J, Eugene, OR, and OSLIS Revision Committee 2002
|
Search Strategies
