search strategies for online databases

8/13/2019 Search Strategies for Online Databases

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Muhammad AsifDeputy Manager, LUMS


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Need for superior online search techniques

Developing the ability to:

Determine breadth and depth of information neededSearch for information in an organized and efficient manner

Evaluate sources of information critically

Reference and cite sources properly using standard formats

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3

Course related readings, Class Assignments

Academic Research (Thesis/Dissertations, Projects,Research Article)

Teaching Support


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4

Choose your topic

Write a clear topic statementFor example:

This paper will discuss the prevalence and use of drugs byteenagers in Pakistan.

Select the keywords from your topic statementPrevalence and use of drugs by teenagers in Pakistan

Select synonyms and related termsTeenagers (teens, adolescents, adolescence, youth, young people )Drugs (Heroine, Sheesha, Hashish, Marijuana, pot, weed, ganja etc)

Pakistan (Punjab, Subcontinent, Sindh, KPK, Balochistan, etc.


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Keywords are words that describe or relate to your research topic. Youdetermine what you think are the best keywords.

Choosing the best keywords can be difficult. The easiest method of determiningeffective keywords is by simply reflecting upon your topic and focusing on itsmain points. Think of terms describing those main points and you havekeywords.

Examples:

Research topic Potential keywordsStarting a business in Afghanistan; Afghanistan, business, foreign

investment, labor,entrepreneurship, market forces


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Guessing the URL (Uniform ResourceLocator)

Using a Search Engine (General, Subject,Meta)

Using a Web directory, Subject Gateway


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Places to GO

Tools to USE

Wha t t o GET

Wha t to DO with it

Finding Information

Library Internet

World Wide Web

(WWW)

Web Pages

Evaluate and Selectto use effectively

Library Catalogs Abstracts and Indexes

Print Indexes Electronic Databases (e.g.,CD ROM, WWW

Card Catalog Online Catalog

Books and othermaterials owned by

libraries

Articles in magazines, journalsand newspapers

Finding Information

Library

Library Catalogs

Card Catalog Online Catalog


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Tool


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1. Identify your keyword

When planning your search, break down your topic into itsseparate concepts. e.g: Cloud Computing , SAP ERP Packages

2. Make a list of search terms for each concept

Once you have identified your concepts, list the terms whichdescribe each concept.

3. Specify the logical relationships among your search terms

Once you know the words you want to search, you need toestablish the logical relationships among them using Boolean

logic: AND, OR, NOT.


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Use specific keywordsThe more relevant results will return to you.

Correct SpellingBeware of the differences between English and Americanspellings (Color, Colour) (color OR colour)

Stop wordsIgnore the most common words the, is, e.g. searching the web and the search engine will ignore the .


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Allows combing two or more termsRetrieves only records that contain allthe specified termsCan be used to narrow down searchresults

A B AB

A And B :

Term A

Computer

Term B

Internet

AB


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Allows combing two or more termsRetrieves records containing either one orsome or all the specified termsCan be used to expand the search results

A B AB

A OR B :

Term A

Computer

Term B

Internet

A, B, AB


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Allows combing two or more termsRetrieves only records containing the TermA (students) and not records containingthe term B (Teens) or both AB

Can be used to narrow down search results

A B AB

A NOT B : A

Term A

Students

Term B

Teens


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Phrase Searching

Instead of American English

Try American English or (American English )

Truncation


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Instead of

industryTry

stem industr *

industr y

industr ies

industr ial

industr ialization

Truncation locates multiple forms of a word, including different endings


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Wildcard SearchesIf you want both Wom an Wom en

Try Wom *n

If you want to search for language literacy acquisition language vocabulary acquisition language lexical acquisition language phonologically acquisition etc. simultaneously;

Search as Language *acquisition


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Field Searchingtitle, author, subject, keyword, all fields, etc.

Setting Limitslanguage, date, region, file forma t
http://www.google.lk/advanced_search?hl=enhttp://www.google.lk/advanced_search?hl=en


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Indexing DatabaseERIC, Agricola, Medline, EconLit, etc.

Statistical databasesStat-USA, UN Common Database, PC-TAS,Infofish, etc.

Full text databasesScience Direct, Emerald, JSTOR, Springer,Wiley Interscience, Lexisnexis, etc.


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Personalization/Registration Alert Services

Search Alert

Volume/Issue AlertCitation Alert

Save Searches

Recall to retrieve updated information

Email Search Results

Article Display Format (pdf and HTM)

Exporting citations in citation management tools, EndNote,

Refwork, etc.


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(http://www.sciencedirect.com )

The world's leading electronic collection of scientific journals and providesaccess to the full text of last 15 years. The subject areas covered in thisdatabase are: Business Management and Accounting, Mathematics,Computer Science, and Economics.

(http://www.informaworld.com )

Informaworld provides access to over 1100 peer-reviewed research journalspublished by Taylor & Francis, Rutledge, Psychology Press and InformaHealthcare in Sciences, Engineering and Humanities subject areas generallyfrom 1997 to present.

(http://www.jstor.org )

An online archive database with complete back files of over 700 core scholarly journals covering Business, Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Language,Law, Religion, Philosophy, Anthropology, History, Geography, Biological Sciences,Political Sciences and Education.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/http://www.informaworld.com/http://www.jstor.org/http://www.jstor.org/http://www.jstor.org/http://www.jstor.org/http://www.jstor.org/http://www.jstor.org/http://www.jstor.org/http://www.jstor.org/http://www.informaworld.com/http://www.sciencedirect.com/


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(https://web.lexis-nexis.com )More than legal research, the LexisNexis Total Research System provides youonline access to state and federal case law; codes and statutes; court documentsand extensive secondary materials such as treatises and law journal articles. It hasover 3.5 billion public records; business news, legal news, and regional news;

expert commentary on the law; Shepard's Citations Service; and so much more.

(http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com )Wiley InterScience offers over 3 million articles from 1400+ journals, the combinedoutput of all Wiley-Blackwell peer-reviewed primary research and survey journals.It covers the full spectrum of science, technology, Engineering, medicine, business,social sciences, and the humanities. Many of these titles are ranked at the forefrontof their fields

(http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight )Provides full text of all 150+ Emerald online journals available, with full text backfiles, many going back to 1990's abstracts going back in some cases to 1980's.

Online Databases
https://web.lexis-nexis.com/http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insighthttp://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insighthttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/https://web.lexis-nexis.com/https://web.lexis-nexis.com/https://web.lexis-nexis.com/


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(http://www.springerlink.com )

One of the world's leading online information services for scientific, technical, andmedical books and journals. Over 1100 fully peer reviewed journals are availablewith back files starting from different dates.

(http://journals.cambridge.org )

Cambridge University Presss collection of nearly 200 leading journals across thesciences, social sciences and humanities. \

Business Source Premier ( http://search.ebscohost.com )

Business Source Premier is the industrys most used business research database,providing full text for more than 2,300 journals, including full text for more than1,100 peer-reviewed titles. This database provides full text back to 1886, and

searchable cited references back to 1998.

Online Databases
http://www.springerlink.com/http://journals.cambridge.org/http://search.ebscohost.com/http://search.ebscohost.com/http://journals.cambridge.org/http://www.springerlink.com/


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To find FEWER & MORE RELEVANTresults,Search in specific fields (title, abstract, subject,

keywords, etc.)Add or change search limits (date, language, etc.)Add more search terms (using AND)Use phrase searching instead of ANDUse specific subject headings instead of commonlanguage wordsDecrease search terms connected with OR


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To find MORE results,Use truncation or wildcard characters (* or ?)

Include more synonyms (using OR)Search all fields rather than in specific fields Remove search limits (e.g. date, language, etc.)

Use AND instead of phrase searchingUse broader subject headings


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Online databases return results that matchyour keywords.Most databases provide search withinresults feature which helps you to getspecific materialSearch results can be sorted and sent throughemail.Relevant Article feature helps you to getarticle with same subject headings andkeywordsCitations can also be exported through

citation management tools.


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1. The number range operator, .. (two periods), looks for resultsthat fall inside your specified numeric range (e.g. digitalcamera 3..5 megapixel $800..$1000)

2. Definitions of words using define: word, as in define: Google

3. Exclude words from search using - and include using +,as in: Disney pixar

4. Drop common words (to, the, etc.) in search text, unlesswanted explicitly5. The Google synonym operator~ (tilde) character include not only exactmatches, but also synonyms for each of the keywords. Searching for:~ape turns up results for monkey, gorilla, chimpanzee, and others


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6. Localize by type of file, as in phrase filetype:pdf

7. Phrase the question as an answer instead of How manyawards did Finding Nemo win, use Nemo won * awards

8. Use wildcards * instead of words, as in eastern * university

9. For phrases use search phrase, as in Finding Nemo

10. For complex searches use advanced search located beside thebasic search area


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Thank you

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