Identifying Keywords
Keywords are the terms that you type into the search box in a library database. They are the essential terms for your idea, the most important words describing your topic.
Before you can begin searching for information in a resource, you need to identify keywords related to your topic.
Key terminology can be be found by scanning:
- Your initial research questions
- In-class readings
- Background research articles from encyclopedias, news articles, popular magazines, etc.
- Bibliographies found at the end of books and articles
- Specialized vocabulary or terms authors in the field of study are using
- Think of related, broader, and narrower terms connected to each of the key concepts.
Use subject terms assigned to works in library catalogs or research databases.
Building Search Strings
Once you have identified keywords, use the following techniques to build search strings for searching in library catalogs, databases, and search engines to quickly find more relevant sources to use in your research:
| Boolean Operators | Search Modifiers |
|
AND combines different ideas or concepts, narrowing the search. Example: fairy tales AND gender Results will contain both the words fairy tales and gender |
Phrase Searching allows adjacent words to be kept together. Example: “Snow White” Results will contain words Snow and White together as an exact phrase. |
|
OR is used when adding synonyms, different spellings, similar concepts, etc., increasing the number of results Example: fairy tales OR folklore Results will contain one or more of the words fairy tales and folklore |
Truncation broadens search to include various word endings and spellings. Example: histor* Results will contain terms that begin with histor, e.g., history, histories, historical |
|
NOT excludes terms to make the search more specific, reducing the number of results. Example: Snow White NOT film Results will not contain the word film |
Nesting utilizes parentheses to control the logical order in which words are interpreted by the system. Example:(fairy tales or folklore) AND gender Results will include the word gender and either or both the words fairy tales and folklore |
Meet the Booleans (AND OR NOT)
You can combine words in your search to make it more specific (AND, NOT) or broader (OR). For example:
AND math AND technology Searches for both terms.
OR college OR university Searches for either term.
NOT reading NOT oral Searches for reading but NOT oral reading.
Suggested Subject Terms
In order to find empirical articles in UDiscover or other databases, you'll want to define your keywords or search terms, and also add a SU delimiter identifying a type of research.
For example, if you wanted to read the research including experimental studies on the efficacy of some reading intervention, then one search term could be "explicit vocabulary instruction" and the SU delimiter could be : Experimental Groups.
In another example, if you wanted to read qualitative research on vocabulary instruction, one search term could be "explicit vocabulary instruction" and the SU delimiter could be "Qualitative Research".
Other terms to try include:
- Qualitative research
- Quantitative research
- Semi-structured interviews
- Observation
- Experimental Groups
- Control Groups
- Pretests Posttests
- Diaries
- Statistical Analysis
Using Limiters
You can use limiters in databases to narrow your results. After performing a database search, you can find the limiters on the left hand side of the screen. Be sure to scroll down so that you view all the limiter options!
Find It!
Sometimes a search result may not provide you direct access to an article. Click on the Find It! icon to see if/where the article is available.
If an article is available online, you will see a link/icon on the top, left side of the screen under the phrase: "Get Full Text." Click on the link/icon. A new tab will open to the service hosting the article, where you will find a PDF link.
If an article is not immediately available in print or online, you will see the message "Request this title from another library via Interlibrary Loan." You may order an article through interlibrary loan by selecting the link. A new tab will open to UD's Interlibrary Loan page. Follow the directions to login and request the article.
