Quick Tips & Shortcuts for Database Searching
Summary
TLDRThis episode from 'Memoirs of a Modern Librarian' offers quick tips and shortcuts for more effective database searching. It highlights key tools such as Boolean operators, advanced search options, and limiters like full-text and peer-reviewed filters to refine search results. The video stresses the importance of using subject terms, narrowing searches with specific keywords, and taking advantage of citation tools in databases like EBSCO and ProQuest. Viewers are encouraged to experiment and contact librarians for help, making research more efficient and productive.
Takeaways
- 📚 Databases are powerful tools for research, providing reliable information, unlike search engines.
- 🔍 Many people struggle with using databases effectively and are unaware of their advanced features.
- 🛠️ Tip 1: Use the advanced search function for more specific searches with multiple keywords.
- 🤖 Tip 2: Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine or exclude keywords in your search.
- 📑 Tip 3: Use full-text limiters and peer-reviewed filters to ensure you find complete, scholarly articles.
- ⚠️ Tip 4: Avoid searches that are too broad or too narrow by refining your keywords and using specific terms.
- 📝 Tip 5: Use quotation marks around compound terms to prevent the database from splitting them apart.
- 📘 Tip 6: Use the subject terms index or thesaurus in databases to find the best keywords for your topic.
- 📄 Tip 7: You can search within specific publications, like magazines, for focused results.
- 🖋️ Use the citation feature in databases to automatically generate citations in your preferred style.
Q & A
What are databases used for in research?
-Databases are used for finding useful and reliable information on any given topic. They contain journals, newspapers, and other sources, many of which are peer-reviewed.
Why do many users struggle with databases?
-Many users struggle with databases because they are often unaware of the many features databases offer. They are used to search engines like Google, which use simpler search interfaces.
How are databases different from search engines like Google?
-Databases retrieve results based on specific keywords or subject terms, while search engines retrieve results using algorithms based on link popularity and relevance.
What is a Boolean operator and how is it useful in database searches?
-Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) are used to combine keywords in database searches. They allow users to broaden or narrow searches, making results more relevant.
Why should users try the advanced search option in a database?
-The advanced search option provides more than one search box and allows users to search multiple relevant keywords at once, offering more precise results.
What is the purpose of using quotation marks in a search query?
-Using quotation marks around a compound term like 'social media' ensures that the database treats the terms as a single unit, rather than separating them, providing more accurate results.
How can users filter their search results to find full-text or peer-reviewed articles?
-Users can filter results by checking the boxes for 'full text' and 'peer-reviewed' in the database, ensuring they only see articles that meet these criteria.
What should a user do if they are unsure of the best keywords for their topic?
-If unsure, users can refer to the subject terms index or thesaurus in the database to find the most appropriate keywords for their search.
How can users search within a specific publication in a database?
-Users can search within a specific publication, like a magazine or journal, by using the 'search within' feature for more targeted results on a particular topic.
What is the 'cite' feature in databases and how can it save time?
-The 'cite' feature allows users to select a citation style and automatically generates the correct citation for use in their references or works cited page, saving significant time in research.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Database Searching Challenges
This paragraph introduces Vanessa Gra, who discusses common challenges users face when searching databases. She highlights the importance of databases as research tools, comparing them to search engines, and notes that many users are unfamiliar with the advanced features databases offer. The comparison between search engines and databases emphasizes that while search engines are convenient for general information, databases are more suited for scholarly research by providing more precise and peer-reviewed content.
🛠️ Tips for Effective Database Searching
This section provides practical tips for more effective database searches. It introduces the advanced search option, encouraging users to use multiple search boxes to combine relevant keywords. The importance of Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) is explained, showing how they help refine searches by connecting keywords, broadening, or narrowing results. Additionally, the paragraph advises users to utilize features like the full-text limiter and scholarly/peer-reviewed filters to ensure they access comprehensive and reliable sources.
🔍 Refining Your Search for Better Results
Here, Vanessa discusses the pitfalls of overly broad or narrow searches and offers solutions. The paragraph suggests using quotation marks around compound terms and adding specific keywords to narrow down results effectively. It also emphasizes the value of using database-specific features like subject terms or thesauruses to identify the best keywords. Examples are provided to demonstrate how these methods can help refine searches to yield more relevant and manageable results.
📰 Advanced Database Techniques and Shortcuts
This paragraph explores more advanced techniques for database searching. Vanessa suggests searching within specific publications for targeted results and introduces the citation feature, a major timesaver. This feature allows users to generate citations in the desired style, ready for inclusion in academic papers. The paragraph encourages exploring database features to streamline research processes and make database searching more efficient.
🎥 Conclusion and Additional Resources
The final paragraph wraps up the video, reminding viewers that database searching requires practice and experimentation. Vanessa encourages users to explore database features to improve their research efficiency and reassures them that librarians are available for assistance. The paragraph concludes by promoting additional videos in the series, which cover other aspects of information retrieval and research.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Databases
💡Search engines
💡Boolean operators
💡Advanced search
💡Full-text limiter
💡Peer-reviewed
💡Subject terms
💡Limiters
💡Citation feature
💡Trial and error
Highlights
Databases are valuable tools for research, offering numerous features to help users find reliable information.
Commonly used databases include EBSCO, ProQuest, and Springer Link, among others.
Many users struggle with databases, often due to a reliance on Google and search engines, which work differently from academic databases.
Search engines like Google use algorithms that prioritize link popularity and relevance, but they are not ideal for scholarly research.
Databases retrieve relevant results using specific keywords or subject terms, which can be further narrowed down with limiters like publication year, subject, and format.
Tip 1: Use the advanced search feature in databases to search for multiple relevant keywords at once.
Tip 2: Apply Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine keywords in a more focused way.
Boolean operators can either broaden or narrow a search, helping users refine their results more effectively.
Tip 3: To access entire articles, check the 'Full Text' box, which filters results to show only resources available in PDF or HTML.
Tip 4: Ensure results are scholarly by selecting the 'Scholarly' or 'Peer-reviewed' limiter.
Tip 5: Use quotation marks around compound terms (e.g., 'social media') to ensure the database searches for the phrase, not the individual words.
Tip 6: If unsure of the best keywords, use the 'Subject Terms' index or thesaurus available in databases to find more precise terms.
Tip 7: You can search within specific publications, such as a particular magazine or journal, to find articles on a topic of interest.
Many databases include a citation tool that generates references in different citation styles, saving time for researchers.
Research databases require some trial and error, but exploring their features and focusing searches will save time and improve results.
Transcripts
hi I'm Vanessa gra and this is from the
Memoirs of a modern librarian this
episode is on quick tips and shortcuts
for database searching databases are
great tools for doing research on any
given topic they are equipped with
numerous features that Aid the user in
finding useful and reliable information
some database platforms include Epco
proest Springer link and
more but here's the problem many people
struggle with using databases not only
that but many users are unaware of the
many features that databases have to
make searching more effective as we live
in a Google generation people tend to be
used to the single search box of search
engines though search engines are a
One-Stop shop for websites blogs wikis
and more they're not the ideal place for
doing scholarly research search engines
retrieve results using algorithms that
combine the popularity and relevance of
a link among other things on the other
hand databases retrieve relevant results
based on specific keywords or subject
terms used results can also be narrowed
based on number of limiters such as
publication year subject and format
databases contain journals newspapers
and other sources many of which have
undergone peer review many times a
person sees the default basic search
page of a research database and it
reminds them of the single search box
they see when using search engines and
the catch is they're not the same so
here are a few tips and shortcuts for
using databases tip number one try using
the advanced search within a database
this gives you more than one box and
allows you to search several relevant
keywords at once tip number two use the
Boolean operators and or not to combine
your keywords in a single search okay so
now I'm sure you're asking yourselves
what are Boolean operators Boolean
operators are used to connect your
keywords together and allow you to
broaden or narrow your search and allows
you to search two or more terms together
for example social media
and blogs or allows you to search two
more similar terms together for example
social networking and Facebook or
Myspace not allows you to exclude a term
from your search for example social
media not wiks tip number three if you
know you're looking for the entire
article check the box next to the full
text limiter this will give you the
results that include PDF or HTML full
text of the resource
also check the box next to scholarly or
peer-reviewed to ensure that you're
finding results and scholarly journals
tip number four be careful about doing a
search that is too broad or too narrow
if you were to search the keyword social
media and proquest Central you would see
that the database found over 4 Million
results obviously that's too many to
sift through but you may also notice
that not all of them are about social
media so here's another tip tip number
five use quotation marks around a
compound term in our example this
ensures that the database doesn't split
apart the words social and media also
try to be more specific and add another
keyword that focuses on a certain type
of social media such as blogs if you
find that you're still getting too many
results then look for where you can
narrow them down you can often narrow by
Source type publication year subject and
so on and don't forget to use those full
text and peer viwed
limiters tip number six if you're not
sure what the best keywords to use for
your research topic are try using the
subject terms index or thesaurus and a
database to find the best term for
example when we search for social media
in the subject terms area in epo's
academic Search complete we see that it
is an index subject term in that
database you can also find broader
narrower and related terms here however
when you search social media and the
thesis and proest Central we see that
social networks is the recommended
subject or keyword to use instead of
social media
tip number seven another way to use a
database is to search within a certain
publication for example you can do a
search within the magazine technology
review for articles on social
media once you find an article you want
in a database you can save print or
export it but a great shortcut that will
help you in the long run is the site
feature the site feature that many
databases have allows you to First
select the citation style you want then
it will create the citation that you
would use on your references or work
cited page in a paper this is a huge
timesaver so there are a few tips and
shortcuts to help make your database
searches a little easier and more
effective just remember that using
research databases is not an exact
science for the most part it's simply
trial and error but take the time to
explore the different features that
databases have and try to do more
focused searches it will save you a lot
of time in the long run as always if you
need help throughout the research
process don't hesitate to contact
librarian for help thank you for
watching this installment of from the
memers of a modern librarian be sure to
check out our other videos for your
information needs
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