Searching worksheet
Searching
Introduction
This unit covers how to choose and use a database correctly, and how to craft your research question (and related vocabularies) into search queries that can be understood by computers.
Objectives
- Distinguish a database from other types of information collections
- Identify the coverage of a database
- Understand the concept of field, or advanced searching in a database
- Construct effective search queries using logical operators and related strategies
Library Learning Outcomes
(Click for full list of learning outcomes)
After this module, the student should be able to:
- 2d. Select information resources (catalog, databases, search engines) appropriate for the research topic.
- 2e. Use various search techniques such as keywords, controlled vocabulary, limiters, Boolean operators, and truncation to find relevant items.
- 3a. Understand that search results may be presented according to various ordering principles (e.g. relevance ranking, author, title, or date).
- 3d. Analyze the search results and determine whether the search should be refined.
Photo: limonda
