Search Techniques

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Search Techniques Using Databases

• Jane Long
• MLIS, University of Oklahoma
• MA, Wright State University
• Reference Services Librarian
• Al Harris Library
• jane.long_at_swosu.edu

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How do I get started?

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Search Techniques

• Keywords
• Flexible Terms
• Easy Searches
• Less Accuracy in Searching
• Use of Phrases
• Use Synonyms

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Identifying Keywords

• Identify the significant terms and concepts that
  describe your topic from your thesis statement or
  research question.
• These terms will become the key for searching
  catalogs, databases and search engines for
  information about your subject.

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Keywords Synonyms

• Keyword execution
• Part of Speech noun
• Synonyms accomplishment, completion,
  consummation, decapitation, doing,
  effectuation, electrocution, fulfillment,
  garrote, guillotine, killing, lapidation,
  noyade, performance, perpetration, realization,
  strangulation, transaction

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Keyword Phrases

• Single concept, multiple words
• Some electronic resources require keyword phrases
  be enclosed with punctuation by using
• Quotation marks SWOSU Catalog
• Parenthesis

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Keyword Phrase Examples

• Death Penalty
• Lethal injection
• Gov. George Ryan
• Cruel and unusual punishment
• Amnesty International
• Stanley (Tookie) Williams

• Government Bailout
• Bear Stearns
• Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
• Housing bill
• Savings and loan crisis
• Henry Paulson
• Subprime mortgages

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Search Techniques

• 2. Boolean Operators
• Connect keywords only
• Must be placed between keywords
• AND
• Narrows your search
• OR
• Expands your search with synonymous terms
• NOT
• Excludes words from your search
• If used too much, it can work against you!

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Treatment of employees by fast food restaurants

• First, narrow down the topic
• Which restaurants are you talking about?
• What kind of treatment?
• Good or Bad
• Focusing on
• Working environment hours
• Benefits Pay
• Promotion Opportunities
• How employees are treated by their peers?
  Manager(s)? Customer(s)?

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How AND is used

• AND (narrows)
• restaurant and employee
• restaurant and employee and retirement benefits

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How OR is used

• OR (expands)
• restaurant or cafeteria
• salary or income
• AND OR together
• restaurant or cafeteria and employee
• salary or income and work hours

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How NOT is used

• NOT (excludes)
• cafeteria not school
• income not influx
• AND, OR NOT together
• employee and restaurant or cafeteria not school

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Search Strategy

• Endless possibilities
• employee OR worker AND cafeteria AND salary
• employee AND restaurant AND salary OR income
• waitress AND eatery AND income

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Class Exercise

• Keyword Building Exercise
• Topic Conservation
• Thesaurus.com

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Conservation
save
keep

safeguard
preservation

management
maintenance
protect
control
storage

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Information

• Take a look at what is happening in our world.
• Did You Know these things?
• How do they affect you?
• Why are these issues
• important?
• Where do we find the
• information we need?

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Finding Articles

• We find articles in periodicals. This includes
  magazines, scholarly journals, and newspapers
• Many of these resources
• are available in print
• Many are available
• through our library
• databases

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Magazines vs. Scholarly Journals

• What is the difference?

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Recap

• MAGAZINES
• Popular Info
• Audience
• General Public
• Casual Reader
• Purpose
• Hobby
• Pleasure
• Curiosity

• JOURNALS
• Scholarly Info
• Audience
• Researcher
• Professional Who Needs to Stay Up-to-Date
• Purpose
• Goal-Driven
• Research Paper
• Certification, Tenure
• Job Requirement

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Difference Between Scholarly and Popular
Periodicals

• POPULAR MAGAZINES
• USUALLY SOMEWHAT SLICK AND ATTRACTIVE IN
  APPEARANCE
• RARELY CITE SOURCES. INFO. IS USUALLY
  SECONDARY, REPORTED FROM SOURCE
• ARTICLES SHORT, WRITTEN IN SIMPLE LANGUAGE AND
  FOR A MINIMAL EDUCATION LEVEL
• USUALLY LOT OF ADVERTISING AND PICTURES
• PAGINATION RESTARTS IN EVERY ISSUE

• SCHOLARLY JOURNALS
• HAVE A SOBER, SERIOUS LOOK
• ALWAYS CITE THEIR SOURCES IN FOOTNOTES/ ENDNOTES
  AND INCLUDE BIBLIOGRAPHIES
• ARTICLES WRITTEN BY A SCHOLAR OR RESEARCHER
  HORSES MOUTH
• PEER-REVIEWED BY SCHOLARS
• LANGUAGE OF JOURNAL ASSUMES SOME SCHOLARLY
  BACKGROUND ON THE PART OF READER
• ADVERTISING IS SPECIALIZED TO THAT DISCIPLINE
• PAGINATION IS USUALLY CUMULATIVE

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Now that I know I need articles that are
scholarly, where will I find them?

• Take a look at the databases!

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Databases are

• Large, regularly updated files of digitized
  information related to a specific subject or
  field.
• They are the place where we find articles from
  scholarly publications and magazines.
• They are where most of your research will take
  place.

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Databases 101 Differences Between Brands
Products

• Nike
• Shoes for
• Men
• Women
• Children
• Basketball
• Baseball/Softball
• Running
• Soccer
• Golf

• EBSCOHost
• Academic Search Complete
• ERIC
• Newspaper Source
• CINAHL
• MEDLINE Plus
• SPORTDiscus

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Full-text articles

• Full-text articles indicate the entire article
  can be found within the database, no physical
  searching is necessary. Full-text articles are
  accessible in the following ways
• HTML (displays like a web page)
• PDF (displays like a photocopy best for citing
  info)
• Linked (hyperlinks to full-text in another
  location)

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Moving Toward Evaluation

• Scholarly sources are concerned with academic
  study, especially research for individuals such
  as, students, teachers, professors, or any other
  professional who need current information to stay
  informed of changes to their profession or area
  of expertise. Many scholarly journals are peer
  reviewed or refereed, that is, these articles
  have been subjected to a rigorous approval and
  editing process by other scholars in that
  discipline. This process doesnt apply to popular
  magazines.

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Periodicals List

• A directory used to identify the location of
  journals, magazines and newspapers accessible
  through the library regardless of format
• Formats
• Electronic (article database)
• Paper (soft or hard bound)
• Microfilm (reel)
• Microfiche (card)

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Periodicals List
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Periodicals List Exercise

• Is the periodical a magazine or a journal?
• Does the library have access to this periodical?
• How do you know?

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Let us begin to search!

• Searching Techniques
• Scholarly vs. Popular Periodicals
• Periodicals List
• Databases

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Article Databases
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Citing Database Articles magazine source

• Bernstein, Fred. "Architecture That Makes a
  Difference." Architectural Record Oct. 2008
  65- 65. Academic Search Complete. EBSCOhost. Al
  Harris Lib., Weatherford, OK. 27 Jan. 2009
  lthttp//libnet.swosu.edugt.

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Citing Database Articles journal source

• Rozsa, Lajos. A Psychochemical Weapon
  Considered by the Warsaw Pact A Research
  Note. Substance Use Misuse 44.2(2009)
  172-78. Academic Search Complete. EBSCOhost.
  Al Harris Lib., Weatherford, OK. 27 Jan. 2009
  lthttp//libnet.swosu.edugt.

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Exercise

• Academic Search Complete Worksheet
• Topic Use your paper topic

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Questions?

• Contact me
• Jane Long
• 774-3030
• jane.long_at_swosu.edu

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• Thank You!