{"id":274,"date":"2016-07-14T02:28:18","date_gmt":"2016-07-14T02:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level3-english\/?post_type=chapter&p=274"},"modified":"2018-08-21T17:22:48","modified_gmt":"2018-08-21T17:22:48","slug":"video-library-databases","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-englishcomposition1-2\/chapter\/video-library-databases\/","title":{"raw":"Database Search Tips","rendered":"Database Search Tips"},"content":{"raw":"

Key Words and Synonyms<\/h3>\r\nResearch databases don\u2019t search like Google. One major difference is that not all\u00a0databases let you search with everyday or \u00a0\u201cnatural language\u201d terms. Learning a few\u00a0tricks and search strategies will help you find more relevant results. You'll want to begin by\u00a0narrowing your topic idea down into a few key concepts and terms. For example, if your\u00a0essay is about the mental health of immigrants in school settings, you\u00a0might search for key words\u00a0such as\u00a0mental health, immigrants, and school. Next, you'll want to think of synonyms for those words and more precise terms so that you can try different approaches to your research. For example, mental health might also be well-being, psychology, or mental state, or it could be a specific mental disorder such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, or drug or alcohol abuse. Immigrants could also be refugees or migrant workers, or you could focus on a specific group of immigrants. Similarly, school could also be written as education, academics, or more precisely as elementary school, high school, or college. Taking a bit of time to think of synonyms is helpful. If your initial search does\u00a0not yield what you need, try again using some of the synonyms.\r\n

Boolean Operators<\/h3>\r\nDatabase searches also\u00a0enable you to use Boolean operators to specify what you a searching for. Boolean operators are simply words that show the connections between your search terms, in order to further refine your search to get sources that are most relevant to your topic\/working thesis.\u00a0\u00a0Boolean operators are and<\/strong>, or<\/strong>, and not<\/strong>.\u00a0You can also add in quotation marks to search for exact words or phrases.\r\n
    \r\n \t
  • Use and<\/strong> to narrow a search.\u00a0 For example, if you search for \"vegetables\" and<\/strong> \"genetically modified,\" you will only get results that include both of these search terms (as opposed to getting results that deal with just one or the other).<\/li>\r\n \t
  • Use or<\/strong> to broaden your search.\u00a0 For example, if you search for \"vegetables\" or<\/strong> \"genetically modified,\" you may get some results that include both, but may get other results that include articles on genetically modified fruits, meats, and other items, for example.<\/li>\r\n \t
  • Use not<\/strong> to leave things out of your search.\u00a0 For example, if you search for \"vegetables\" not<\/strong>\u00a0broccoli\u00a0and<\/strong> \"genetically modified,\" you will get results that may include a variety of articles on genetically-modified vegetables but will exclude articles that mention broccoli.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThe picture below shows the breadth of information you\u00a0would find by using the different Boolean operators; the information you would find is colored purple.\r\n\r\n\"Graphic:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nView the following video for another good visual representation of the breadth of information you would find using Boolean operators.\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Yw9Djl_0vK4[\/embed]\r\n

    Limiters<\/h3>\r\nDatabases also have options to revise your search by using limiters, such as searching for only peer-reviewed articles, articles within a specific timeframe, articles from a specific type of source, or articles about a particular\u00a0subject.\r\n

    Summary of Search Tips<\/h3>\r\nWatch the following\u00a0video, which clearly summarizes\u00a0tips and shortcuts for effective database searching. Some of the tips include:\r\n
      \r\n \t
    • using the\u00a0advanced search option within a database<\/li>\r\n \t
    • using\u00a0Boolean operators AND or NOT to combine your keywords in a single search<\/li>\r\n \t
    • finding full-text articles<\/li>\r\n \t
    • using quotation marks around a compound term<\/li>\r\n \t
    • using the subject terms index or the thesaurus in the database to find the best search terms<\/li>\r\n \t
    • searching\u00a0within a certain publication<\/li>\r\n \t
    • using the\u00a0cite feature\u00a0to help you create citations<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aWqdF9L4D24[\/embed]","rendered":"

      Key Words and Synonyms<\/h3>\n

      Research databases don\u2019t search like Google. One major difference is that not all\u00a0databases let you search with everyday or \u00a0\u201cnatural language\u201d terms. Learning a few\u00a0tricks and search strategies will help you find more relevant results. You’ll want to begin by\u00a0narrowing your topic idea down into a few key concepts and terms. For example, if your\u00a0essay is about the mental health of immigrants in school settings, you\u00a0might search for key words\u00a0such as\u00a0mental health, immigrants, and school. Next, you’ll want to think of synonyms for those words and more precise terms so that you can try different approaches to your research. For example, mental health might also be well-being, psychology, or mental state, or it could be a specific mental disorder such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, or drug or alcohol abuse. Immigrants could also be refugees or migrant workers, or you could focus on a specific group of immigrants. Similarly, school could also be written as education, academics, or more precisely as elementary school, high school, or college. Taking a bit of time to think of synonyms is helpful. If your initial search does\u00a0not yield what you need, try again using some of the synonyms.<\/p>\n

      Boolean Operators<\/h3>\n

      Database searches also\u00a0enable you to use Boolean operators to specify what you a searching for. Boolean operators are simply words that show the connections between your search terms, in order to further refine your search to get sources that are most relevant to your topic\/working thesis.\u00a0\u00a0Boolean operators are and<\/strong>, or<\/strong>, and not<\/strong>.\u00a0You can also add in quotation marks to search for exact words or phrases.<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Use and<\/strong> to narrow a search.\u00a0 For example, if you search for “vegetables” and<\/strong> “genetically modified,” you will only get results that include both of these search terms (as opposed to getting results that deal with just one or the other).<\/li>\n
      • Use or<\/strong> to broaden your search.\u00a0 For example, if you search for “vegetables” or<\/strong> “genetically modified,” you may get some results that include both, but may get other results that include articles on genetically modified fruits, meats, and other items, for example.<\/li>\n
      • Use not<\/strong> to leave things out of your search.\u00a0 For example, if you search for “vegetables” not<\/strong>\u00a0broccoli\u00a0and<\/strong> “genetically modified,” you will get results that may include a variety of articles on genetically-modified vegetables but will exclude articles that mention broccoli.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        The picture below shows the breadth of information you\u00a0would find by using the different Boolean operators; the information you would find is colored purple.<\/p>\n

        \"Graphic:<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        View the following video for another good visual representation of the breadth of information you would find using Boolean operators.<\/p>\n