Select a standard citation style and document sources correctly and consistently.
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Whether you are searching for books in the Five College Library Catalog, or searching for scholarly articles in a library database, it pays to be organized as you start your search. Break down searching into a three step process.
STEP 1
Write down as much information about your topic as possible. (You can use encyclopedias and other reference books to help gather background information). Answer the following questions:
Then, try to summarize what you are looking for in one or two sentences.
EXAMPLE: I would like to learn more about the morphology, physical
characteristics of cotton, and about this plant in general.
STEP 2
Using the information in Step 1, list the main concepts of your topic.
EXAMPLE: cotton, morphology, physical characteristics
STEP 3
Now create a list of synonyms of your key concepts. Think broadly, think narrowly! This step is helping you expand your search by expressing your query in a variety of ways. If you get too many results, then you can work on focussing your search
cotton |
morpholog* |
|
You will use the word lists you developed in Step 3 to create search strategies. Use "OR" between synonyms and "AND" between concepts. For instance:
(cotton OR gossypium) AND (morpholog* OR anatomy)
Download this worksheet (with bonus search tips!) to help you organize your search strategy.
Contact Rocco Piccinino, x2951, rpiccini@email.smith.edu with your questions
Or use Ask a Librarian! to live (chat) during Reference Desk hours.