Constructing a Search Strategy
The following online worksheet provides a way for you to map out a search when looking for scholarly articles.
If you have any questions about what a scholarly database is, please check out our What is a Scholarly Database? movie on Library Help. On the Library Homepage, you can find most of our databases by their respective subjects by clicking on "Select Subject" under Articles by Subject.
- State your research topic as completely as you can.
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- Think about your topic and circle two or three of the most important concepts in your search topic above.
- Write each concept in a top space, then list synonymous or related terms, if applicable. If a thesaurus is available for your database, use appropriate terms from it as well.
First Concept Second Concept Third Concept ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ OR_____________________ OR_____________________ OR_____________________ OR_____________________ OR_____________________ OR_____________________ OR_____________________ OR_____________________ OR_____________________ - Insert connectors AND, OR, NOT, or others specified by the database software you are using, between the concepts above to combine them into a search statement.
- Write out the search statements you will enter in order to get your first sets:
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Example:
I would like to find literature on academic achievement of children of single parent families.First Concept Second Concept Third Concept __academic achievement_ _____children________ ____single parent+__ OR___grades_________ OR___adolescen?_____ OR______________ OR___performance_____ OR_________________ OR______________ Search statement: (academic achievement or grades or performance) and (children or adolescen?) and (single parent+)
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- Select the database(s) that best cover your topic.
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