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First Year Students: Search Tips

This guide provides an introduction to Shepard Library and conducting research for first year NCCU students.

Advanced Searching Using Boolean Modifiers

Search Tips

Step 1: SELECT YOUR TOPIC

Before you can do any research, you need to be clear about what you are researching. A helpful way to clarify your topic is to state your topic in the form of a question. Example Question - What effect does alcohol abuse have on college students?                                                                                                                                                      

Step 2: IDENTIFY KEY WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOUR TOPIC                                                                                                                           

Make a list of words and terms that describe your topic. To this list add synonyms of those words and other terms related to your topic.          

Example Keywords - alcohol abuse, college students | Examples of Related Words - alcoholism, binge drinking, young adults                                                     

This is a very important step because almost all of your subsequent research will involve entering these words into various search engines (examples, the library catalog to find books, a research database to find a journal article).                                                                                                                                                                                  

STEP 3: FIND BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Begin your search with printed or online encyclopedias such as Credo Reference or Britannica Online, using the keywords and related words that you identified as your search terms in Steps 1 and 2. Articles in encyclopedias and similar sources will help you refine your topic. Note any relevant references to books, articles, and other information in the bibliographies at the end of the encyclopedia articles because you may want to use them in your research.

 

Step 4: USE SHEPARD LIBRARY'S ONLINE CATALOG TO FIND BOOKS

Using words that describe your topic (Identified in Steps 1 and 2 above), do a Keyword search to find books relevant to your topic in the library's online catalog. Once you find appropriate materials, note the citation (author, title, etc.), call number, location, and circulation status of the book.

 

STEP 5: USE RESEARCH DATABASES TO FIND JOURNAL ARTICLES

Consult a research database such as Academic Search Complete to find articles on your chosen topic. Some search results will include the full text of the article. If the full text is not included, use Journal Finder to see if the full text is available in the library or in another research database. If the full text is not available, you may use the library's Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Service to borrow books or obtain copies of articles not available at NCCU. 

 

STEP 6: EVALUATE WHAT YOU FIND

Evaluate the authority and quality of the materials you have located. Consider the author, publisher, and date of each resource. Is the material comprehensive? Is it biased? Who is the intended audience? Is the article peer-reviewed or from a scholarly journal?

 

STEP 7: REVIEW YOUR PROGRESS

After you have completed steps 1-6, examine the information that you have collected and ask yourself the following questions.

  • Does it answer the topic question you posed in Step 1?
  • Is your topic question too general?
  • Does it need to be more specific?
  • Do you need more information about any aspect of your topic?
  • After you answer these questions, return to Step 1 and repeat the process. (You may be able to skip Step 3:  Find Background Information.)

Effective searching is both a skill and an art. If you are not happy with what you find immediately, think about ways to improve your search. If you find an overwhelming number of results, you may want to use more specific search terms. If you feel like you're not finding enough articles, you may need to be more general or think of additional synonyms. Remember that while each database operates on the same basic principles, there are myriad differences in interface look-and-feel, sources covered, and the vocabulary used to assign 'subjects' to an article. Do not be surprised if you have to go through a little trial and error.