Searching for sources is not a straightforward process and may require you to go back and try something different to get the results you're looking for. That said, there are some strategies that can help you find what you want faster.
Remember! Library databases are not Google. You can't just put your entire question into the search box and get results. Follow the steps below to break your question into keywords for better searches!
1. Take your topic or research question and break it into keywords or phrases.
Ex.) How do the distinct challenges and societal perceptions faced by climate refugees in the United States impact immigration policies?
2. Think of synonyms or related terms to come up with additional keywords you could use.
Ex.)
Keyword 1 | Keyword 2 | Keyword 3 |
---|---|---|
climate refugees | United States | immigration policies |
environmental refugees | United States of America | migration policies |
forced migration | America | emigration |
environmental migration | U.S. | government policies |
climate migration | U.S.A. | public policy |
Hint! Use a thesaurus and the internet to help you come up with additional keywords.
In addition to coming up with different keywords to try, using the following search strategies can help you construct more targeted searches and narrow your results to the most relevant sources faster.
Put the keywords and phrases you came up with together to form a "search string."
Ex.) "climate refugees" AND immigration policies AND "United States"
or... ("climate refugees" OR "climate change") AND immigration AND "United States" AND policies
AND tells the database you are looking for ALL of the listed terms and will narrow your results
OR tells the database you want EITHER of the listed terms and will help expand your results if you're not finding what you're looking for
You can also use NOT to tell the database you do NOT want to see sources with the specified term(s).
Notice how key phrases are grouped together with quotation marks.
Ex.) "climate refugees" / "United States"
Using quotes tells the database to search for the words together as a phrase instead of searching for each word independently. Note that while this can be a very helpful tool, especially when you are looking for a very specific phrase, sometimes you might want to try searching for the terms without quotes. It's a good idea to try searches using quotes around key phrases and without to see which results in better results.
Filters are a useful tool in narrowing your search results to the specific type of source you are looking for. The most common filters you will likely use are:
Although these are the most common types of filters people use when searching for resources, do not limit yourself to these and feel free to explore and use other available filters as you feel are useful and appropriate for your research.
Articles are shorter written works that are contained or published within a larger work such as a newspaper, magazine, or journal.
In general, articles are best used when you are looking for current, reliable information.
Articles May be Useful When... | Articles May NOT be Useful When... |
---|---|
Your topic is very recent |
You need background or overview information |
Your topic is very narrow in scope |
Your topic covers a long time span |
(Table content from WCSU Libraries "Research Basics" guide, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International License)
Books are typically longer works written by experts that are self-contained or published as themselves.
eBooks are "electronic books" that have been published in a digital format.
In general, books are best used when you are looking for in-depth background information.
Books May be Useful When... | Books May NOT be Useful When... |
---|---|
You need a broad overview |
The topic is very recent |
Your research topic is historical |
You have a fairly narrow topic |
You want several opinions from one place You will find there are books with "collected essays" that will give you several points of view in one compact source. Example: Commentary and criticism on Shakespeare's Hamlet |
(Table content from WCSU Libraries "Research Basics" guide, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International License)
Films and videos are visual recordings that usually include audio and cover information related to a specific topic.
In general, films and videos are best used when you need a broad overview or introduction to a topic or subject.
Films/Videos May be Useful When... | Films/Videos May NOT be Useful When... |
---|---|
Your topic requires witnessing real events or situations |
You need credible or scholarly information |
Your topic includes personal testimonies |
Your topic covers a long time span |
Your topic is a comparative analysis of different forms or adaptations of a specific work |
Your topic is on a complex issue requiring in-depth information Films and videos generally have a limited runtime, which restricts their ability to cover complex or expansive topics comprehensively. Example: Benefits and challenges of establishing universal healthcare in the United States |
Web Resources are websites, pages, or other online content that you can find just by searching the internet through your browser. Basically, anything that you can find by searching Google is considered a web resource.
In general, web resources can be a helpful first step in your research to identify useful keywords to search library databases and gather basic information about your topic.
In most cases, web resources will not be considered scholarly enough to include as sources in your research assignments.
Web Resources May be Useful When... | Web Resources May NOT be Useful When... |
---|---|
You are just beginning your research and need to come up with key terms to use for your searches |
You need credible or scholarly information |
Your topic involves finding different perspectives or how different people respond to societal events or information |
Your topic is on a complex issue requiring in-depth information |
You need statistics usually collected by a government agency |
You need a source that can be verified by your professor Web resources are not stable. Their content and location can change at any given moment, so if you require a source that your professor or reader can refer to to verify your information, you should avoid using a web resource. Example: You quote a statistic from a Wikipedia article that later gets updated |
Your topic or assignment will benefit from the usage of multimedia resources |