Search Tips

Getting frustrated? Not finding relevant sources? Here are some search strategies.

No Google Searches

Many students make the mistake of using Google search strategies. They cram their keywords into one search box when Advanced search boxes are available. 

In the example above, all the search words are in the same search box. 

• Eliminate non-essential words like does, as, a, the, in, towards, cause. Only use essential keywords that would appear in an article you might use.
• Click on the Advanced Search link to open more search boxes so you can combine multiple search terms.
• Break the different concepts up and put the terms in their own search box. 

Search tips:

1. Separate your keywords into different search boxes by topic using the Advanced search boxes.

2. Combine synonyms or related terms by putting them in the same search box and combining them with OR. Do NOT combine synonyms and related terms in the same box using AND. By reviewing your results from the search above, you can find terms such as social isolation and social comparison.

There is no one correct way to combine search terms. You'll find yourself experimenting with different combinations.

3. Truncate keywords to retrieve various endings for your search terms. Truncation is great for pulling up both singular and plurals of your word.

Examples:  

• relationship* will retrieve relationship, relationships
• friend* will retrieve friend, friends, friending, friendship, friendships
• influencer* will retrieve influencers, influencer
• bully will retrieve bully, bullying
• social interact* will retrieve social interacting, interaction, interactions
• therap* will retrieve therapy, therapies, therapist, therapists, therapeutic, therapeutical, therapeutically
• profession* will retrieve profession, professions, professional, professionals, professionally

Keep looking at your results, particularly the subjects, for other keywords you can integrate into your searches to focus and narrow your results. You will need to try different search combinations and to vary your search terms. 

4. Phrase searches. Usually, this is optional, but use quotation marks to keep a phrase together. Start your search WITHOUT the quotation marks because sometimes you lose useful results if you limit too soon.. 

Examples:

• "social comparison"
• "animal experimentation"
• "capital punishment"
• "animal cruelty"

Perseverance and Patience

Like any detective, you might have to try to follow many different trails. Try various search combinations! Research will require patience, critical thinking, perseverance, and a sharp eye for clues.

As you view the results of your research, your ideas for the content of your essay will evolve as you discover research findings, author points of view, and previously unknown aspects of your topic. Don't be like the lazy TV police commander who wants to focus on one suspect (the wrong one) just to close the case quickly. He will only look at partial evidence and hearsay then arrest the wrong person because of his preconceived notions.

If you find yourself with a list of arguments that you thought of before doing any research and you're trying to unsuccessfully locate articles to support these arguments you thought of off the top of your head, maybe you need to re-think your thesis and look at the evidence in front of you. The successful researchers/detectives will follow the research trail results and see where it leads them. You should be open to findings that contradict what you previously believed, see patterns that you hadn't known about like a thorough, successful detective who captures the right criminal in the end.