One of the simplest time-saving skills when it comes to library research is to spend a little time thinking before you start typing words into search bars.
Get in the habit of asking yourself:
Sometimes you might be looking for basic factual information, definitions of unfamiliar terms, or background information about an unfamiliar topic. In those situations, your needs will be best met by using reference sources like encyclopedias, dictionaries, and introductory-level books. See the box to the left for some recommendations.
Other times you might be looking for more in-depth information or more complex arguments or analysis of a topic. In those situations, your needs will be best met by using subject-specific books, articles, reports, or even documentary films.
When we search in our everyday lives, using search engines like Google, many people simply type in their questions using natural language. "Hey Google, what's the state capital of Nebraska?" or "How tall is the Empire State Building" or "What's the best coffee shop near me?"
But when we want to do precision searching in library systems like catalogs and databases, natural language searching usually doesn't work, or it might work, but doesn't yield the best results. As researchers, we have to do a little bit of work to translate our questions into simple instructions for the computer systems to follow. It might feel hard at first, but with a little bit of practice you will get the hang of it! (And if you need help, you can always ask a librarian.)
Step 1: Distill your question into just a few words that represent the main concept(s) - These are your primary keywords
Step 2: Expand upon your primary keywords by identifying synonyms, related words, broader terms, and/or narrower terms - These are your alternate keywords
Step 3: Use special connectors to combine your primary and alternate keywords into a search string
The videos below will help you learn how to identify keywords, develop alternate keywords, and combine your keywords into a search string.
The video above was created by librarians at the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus Library.
The video above was created by librarians at McMaster University Library.
Temple University Japan Campus Library 1-14-29 Taishido, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan 154-0004
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