Search Strategy
Search Strategy #1 - Keywords
Keywords - Key Concepts or Key Ideas related to your topic.
Use the key concepts or main ideas from your research question to create a list of keywords.
1.) Create a list of the main ideas from your research question.
2.) Create a list of related terms and synonyms for EACH main idea in your research question.
Now, you have a list of potential search terms that will produce different results.
*Each change you make to the words you use to search will produce NEW search results.
Use an online Thesaurus to look up synonyms to your main concepts.
Search Strategy #2 - Boolean Search
Boolean search terms help to refine your search. There are three Boolean operators: AND, OR, NOT.
The following table illustrates the operation of Boolean terms:
|
And |
Or |
Not |
|
Each result contains all search terms. |
Each result contains at least one search term. |
Results do not contain the specified terms. |
|
The search heart and lung finds items that contain both heart and lung. |
The search heart or lung finds items that contain either heart or items that contain lung. |
The search heart not lung finds items that contain heart but do not contain lung. |
Combine the list of keywords you created using Boolean operators to create new searches.
Video games AND Violence
Video Games AND Antisocial behavior
Video games OR gaming AND antisocial behavior
Search Strategy #3 - Phrase Searching
Phrase searching allows you to search for a two or more words together in a phrase by simply inserting quotation marks around those words.
Use quotation marks around the terms to be searched as a phrase.
“global warming”
“climate change”
“Las Vegas shooting massacre”
How Do I Develop an Effective Search Strategy?
Different Search Strategies
The Boolean Machine
