Module 1: Search Strategy
- 1. Module 1: Search Strategy Advanced Information Literacy Lara Skelly “If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to the library.” - Frank Zappa
- 2. Refers to an understanding of and set of abilities empowering students to recognize when information is needed, and the skills of how to access, evaluate, use it effectively, and understanding issues around information. (ACRL, 2002) What is Information Literacy?
- 3. Looking at things from the perspective of thesis/dissertation writing Search Strategy Information Sources & Tools Evaluating Information Bibliographic Referencing Social, Economic & Legal Issues Advanced Information Literacy Today
- 4. Critically think about your topic and need; defining keywords by: drawing a mind map, select broader and narrower subject terms, identify different spellings or words; and read about your topic and start making notes. Aims Module 1: Search Strategy
- 5. Draw a mind map AND/OR Analyse your topic Defining keywords
- 6. • Communication in the workplace Research problem • communication, workplaceKeywords • Organisations, communication Broader terms • intercultural communication • written communication Narrower terms • message, contact, interpersonal communicationSynonyms • The “s” or “z” in words. Different spelling
- 7. Different keywords, different results
- 8. Analyse your research topic to find as many keywords as you can Draw a mind map to represent your themes Exercise 1
- 9. AND – combining both terms -- narrow results Placing AND between two or more keywords commands the database to retrieve only results including all of the keywords you entered. OR - containing both term - more results You use the OR connector to retrieve information in which any one of your keywords/term appear. This will give your MORE results. NOT - fewer results - excluding terms Placing NOT before a search term excludes that specific term from your search results. This will give your LESS results. Searching techniques: Boolean operators
- 13. keep the stem of the key words and "cut" everything else away, leaving it out (stem + wildcard) Politi* Politi cs politi cians politi cian politi cal politi cally Truncation Organi*ation s Colo*r
- 14. Phrase searching is when you use a string of words (instead of a single word) to search with. Place your phrase in inverted commas. Example: “most popular tourism attraction” Phrase searching
- 15. Using Boolean operators and your keywords, come up with search strategy. Exercise 2
- 16. Add in ‘review’ as a keyword, and do a Google Scholar search – this might find articles that review the existing literature Explore the top journals in your field – see what they are reporting on When you read, pay attention to more keywords that you can add to your list Read about your topic and start making notes
- 17. (Basic) CPUT Online Information Literacy module http://www.cput.ac.za/dev/library/information_literac y/index.html This presentation was based on one created by Janine Lockhart. Thank you! Bibliography and acknowledgements