Develop your search vocabulary:

Your search vocabulary (the keywords and key-phrases you'll be using to search) can initially be pulled directly from your research question.

Example Research Question: Has the widespread use of the Internet impacted information literacy levels in children in the United States?

Example Main Concepts:

• Internet
• Information Literacy
• Children
• United States

Start by searching these initial keywords and phrases, examine your results, then determine whether you need to develop additional keywords.

To see this technique in action, check out the video below!

Coming up with more search terms:

It's always a good idea to prepare some additional search terms and keywords in advance of beginning your search! Remember, searching/researching is an exploratory process, you may need to return to the "drawing board" to come up with new keywords or test out different combinations of searches before you start seeing the results you need.

Whether your about to start your search, or are well into it, the tips below can help expand your search vocabulary:

• Searching for synonyms.

  • Try searching using some like-terms and synonyms, it may be the case that a particular area of study prefers one term or phrase over the other when publishing in academic journals. One of the difficult things about any language is that there's often more than one way to refer to something, and while particular fields of study generally try to stick to the same set of vocabulary, there's no accounting for every article or source you'll come across.

• Try eliminating abbreviation and shorthand.

  • There are many instances of abbreviating or shortening words both in conversation and when written down. While we may use shorthand to refer to something in our day-to-day conversations, scholars may be using the full version of a word when writing in detail about it. This is of particular importance when searching for medical or STEM-related sources. Searching for "flu" may yield fewer results than "influenza" for example.

• Search Library of Congress Subject Headings.

  • Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is a list of words and phrases, called "headings," used to indicate the topic of a resource, whether it be an article, journal, book, etc. LCSH is used by most academic and research libraries, including most scholarly databases, to organize the materials contained within. Knowing the proper subject heading for your topic of interest can help lead directly to resources on that topic in most databases. To consult the full list of LCSH, follow this link: Library of Congress Subject Headings PDF Files

• Search within sources.

  • If you find one or two sources related to your topic, even if they're not quite what you're looking for, try reading through them in order to expand your vocabulary. See what keywords and terminology authors are using in your field of study. If your research is part of a class assignment, try going back through required readings (if applicable) to see what's there.

• Consult a subject-specific dictionary or encyclopedia.

  • If none of the above works, try going right to a tertiary source of information. Search for your subject in WestSearch, then filter the results you get by looking under "Resource Type" then selecting "Reference Entries" to get a list of dictionaries and encyclopedias available to you.

• When in doubt, visit a librarian!

  • Our librarians are always prepared to help you develop your search strategy. Stop by during our Reference Hours, or click on the chat icon on the lower-right-hand side of the webpage and submit your question!

There are many places to begin your search for information:

It can be difficult to decide where to begin searching for the scholarly resources that you need. With the technology available to us today, it can be a little intimidating when presented with all the options. Below, we've listed some examples of different places to start your search along with some examples to get you going!

• Library Catalogs

  • When searching a library catalog, you'll be able to see all of that library's holdings! By holdings we mean all of the books, ebooks, magazines, newspapers, journals, films, etc. that the library has access to, both physical and digital. An example of this is WestSearch, WCSU's library catalog. From here, you'll be able to search all of the aforementioned holdings, but also many of the scholarly databases that the WCSU Libraries also subscribe to. It's a good place to cast a wide net when beginning your research.

• Scholarly Databases

  • These resources are great for searching for, as the name suggests, scholarly journals and articles! While some scholarly databases have access to other holdings like films and newspapers, for the most part you'll start your search here if you're looking for scholarly, peer-reviewed articles. Some databases, like Academic Search Premier, offer journals and articles from all different subject matters and on all different topics. Other databases dial in on a specific subject area; PsychArticles, for example, will only contain full-text scholarly articles from the American Psychological Association.

• Internet Search Engines

  • There are a number of Internet search engines out there, but by and far the most popular one is Google. Search engines like Google can be a great tool in the hands of an experienced researcher, one can encounter a lot of information when searching the web. With lots of information, also comes a lot of misinformation. Any time you use Google, for research purposes or not, you must keep in mind your information literacy and evaluation skills to determine whether the information you're accessing is legitimate. To learn more about searching for web resources responsibly, watch this video here: Web Evaluation
    • Google Scholar: you may have heard of, or even used Google Scholar in the past to search for articles. Like base Google, it can be a great tool when used correctly. Not everything that appears on Google Scholar will be accessible to you, so to make sure that it is, watch this video to see how to connect the WCSU Libraries' catalog and list of databases to your search function: Searching Google Scholar

Develop your search skills:

There are a number of techniques that librarians and other research professionals use when conducting a search for scholarly information. There are two major components to this: 1.) Understanding how scholarly databases/catalogs work, especially compared to popular search engines like Google, 2.)  Learning the techniques and methods used to search and navigate these scholarly resources.

Understanding how databases are searched:

From the kinds of sources available, to the way each is designed to search, Academic Databases and Google operate very differently. Knowing these differences will allow you to use each resource to your full advantage, being able to do so will directly affect your success in navigating college-level academic research!

Check out the video below to see some of the key differences between Academic Databases and Google!

Developing your academic searching skills:

There are a number of techniques you'll need to know in order to undertake a successful search of a scholarly database. From Boolean Operators, to Phrase Searching, Truncation, using Filters, or the use of Subject Headings; there can be a lot to take in.

Try watching the video below to see some basic search techniques being used on the WCSU Libraries' catalog, WestSearch. OR Look for the Searching Basics or Advanced Searching tabs on this subject guide to learn more. Click on this link to be taken to our one-stop page on research methods for further reading on search methods. [link to be added summer '24]

Research is exploration!

Searching for scholarly information is an exploratory process. You may be traveling down one path of research for a while, only to hit a wall, need to backtrack, and try a new path. So don't get discouraged!

Look back at the path you took and the skills you used to get this far, and try out new combinations of keywords, boolean operators, and available filters. Keep an eye out for new keywords and phrases as you go, add them to your search terms and see what results are returned. And remember: scholarly sources may be using a different keyword to refer to something you're searching for. It's always a good idea to try searching using the full scientific/scholarly versions of words. [Example: Searching "influenza" instead of "flu" may change your search results.]

Expand or Narrow the scope of your search. Sometimes your topic might be too broad, and you're getting too many results to read through; other times your searches might return nothing! In those times, try using more specific or less specific search criteria to see how that effects the number of results you receive.

When in doubt: Ask a Librarian! We're here to help you navigate your search process from start to finish! Click here to be taken to a page where you can find the hours each semester that a librarian is available to help you in addition to all the ways that you can get in contact with one. You can also try clicking on the orange button on this page that says: "Schedule a Research Appointment" to book a session with a librarian.