Begin Your Research Here: Strategies

Begin with good keywords and good resources

• Good keywords for searching come from your own topic, expressed as a clear question or declarative statement; from earlier searches; from talking to your faculty; or from reading.

• Good resources can come from your own knowledge; from the library's research guides; from a consult with a librarian (walk-in, or research appointment); from faculty suggestion, or from the library's collections.

What are good search approaches?

• Phrases, when you have them, work well.  Surround a phrase with "double quotes" to search only the exact phrase.
• Keyword combinations using AND, OR, and NOT move your search towards "effect of idea 2 on idea 1" and variations.
  • I want:
    •   "alternative energy" AND "solar energy" - both-at-the-same-time, narrows
    •   "alternative energy" OR "solar energy" - either/or is good, broadens
    •   "alternative energy" NOT "solar energy" - alternative, not interested in solar, narrows
• Survey what you can find in your first search or two.

How does one examine results?

• Sources: what kind do you need, what kind do you see, how recent do they have to be?  You might have to browse a page or two.
  • News?  Journals?  Peer review journals?  Specific dates?  You can often limit to them with options on the screen left.
  • Sort, and examine:  it's useful to sort-by-date newest material to the top, if your search looks good.
•  Terms: What new words do you notice?
  • Browse titles and descriptions/abstracts/subjects to turn up new, better, search keywords - research oriented language, synonyms, related terms.  "Monkeys" might work, but research publications may use the "genus/species" or "howler monkeys."  You may start with "abstract art" but need "abstract expressionism."  "Feminism," or is "third/fourth wave" feminism more on target?
• Patterns:  Note what scholars tend to write about.  Patterns suggest new connections, interests, or combinations for new searches.

Refine and re-search how?

Refining a search is like editing a draft.  You have to really look at what you've got, as above, and make changes.

• Can you add a new term after examining results?  "monkeys" OR "howler monkeys"?
• Can you use better terms?  "monkeys" to "howler monkeys" OR "Alouatta palliata"?
• Can you add or change a combination?  "howler monkeys" AND "sleeping sites" NOT "food patch"?
• Are your kinds of sources certain?  Should you limit to books, or journals, or peer review?
• Is it worth sorting by date or using date limits?  "Reptiles and amphibians," older articles may be quite valuable.  "Intersectionality," might sort newest to top.

Should I use specialized resources?

Sometimes an assignment calls for sources beyond books and journals.  Check the research guides for tabs that contain:

• Data and statistics 
• Digital collections
• Historic newspapers
• Video collections 
• Music and Audio collections

If you need research help or have a question about the library during normal business hours, try chatting with a Research Librarian (general questions, research questions, library resources) or with the College Archivist (campus and local history, special collections, etc.)